Sydney FC striker Alex Brosque is relishing the challenge of taking on bitter rivals Melbourne Victory on Saturday night, declaring the match comes at the perfect time for the ailing Sky Blues.
The defending champions are still searching for their first win of the season after four draws and five losses across the opening nine rounds of the Hyundai A-League season.
Brosque is banking on an emotion-charged clash with Victory at Etihad Stadium to bring the best out in his side.
The clubs have enjoyed a tense and often acrimonious relationship since the Hyundai A-League’s inception, winning two championships apiece and jostling for the title of Australia’s biggest club.
“This game isn’t your average game. They are always big ones against Melbourne,” Brosque told Sportal.
“It’s come at a good time for us.”
“It’s an intense rivalry – they want to give it to us and we want to give it to them.”
“The boys will lift and find that little extra bit we’ve been lacking since the start of the season.”
Sydney coach Vitezslav Lavicka eschewed the training field earlier in the week, preferring to take his players to the NSW Central Coast where the topic of football was largely off limits.
Instead the Sky Blues played touch football and tennis, took in a motivational speech from former St Kilda AFL player Justin Peckett and heard messages of support from the club’s supporters’ group, The Cove.
“We just got our minds off football. It was a good couple of days, lots of fun” Brosque said.
But it’s now back to the serious business of winning football matches – something that needs to begin immediately if Sydney is to pull back ground on the 10 teams above them.
“It’s not panic stations – we know it’s still early in the season – but we do have to start picking up points, there is no doubt about that,” Brosque said.
“The longer we leave it the harder it will be to fight our way back.”
“We’ve been playing well so it’s hard to cop the losses we’ve been having, but that’s football sometimes.”
“We’re confident once we get one or two wins we’re good enough to go on a bit of a roll.”
“We just need a bit of luck to go our way and learn to punish teams when we get the chance.”
