Mark Milligan says the Hyundai A-League Grand Final will be the culmination of months of hard work and insists Melbourne Victory are ready to seize their opportunity.
Victory defeated local rivals Melbourne City 3-0 in the semi-finals on Friday night, booking a home showdown with either Adelaide United or Sydney FC at AAMI Park next Sunday.
MATCH REPORT: Melbourne Victory 3 – Melbourne City 0
Having bowed out in the last four during each of the previous two seasons, Kevin Muscat’s team meant business right from the off in 2014-15, claiming the Premiers’ Plate after one of the closet regular seasons in the history of the competition.
And according to the skipper, the men in navy blue and white have no intention of letting what would be a third championship crown slip from their grasp in front of their own fans next weekend.
“This is the week that, last July, we started to prepare for,” he said.
“We’re not going to leave anything to chance. We’re going to give it everything we have, firstly this week and then next Sunday.
“The last month, there has been that pressure on us. We’ve been in the driving seat in regards to the minor premiers. We went into a lot of games with people expecting us to win or to kick on. The boys dealt with that pressure wonderfully. We’ve got that sort of team. We’ve got a lot of big game players.”
Asked how it felt to not just reach but earn the right to host the season’s decider, the Socceroos midfielder said: “Extremely exciting.”
“When there was a little bit of talk about it not being in Melbourne, the hardest thing for me was knowing we were going to have to move our family,” he said, referring to Etihad Stadium’s unavailability and the potential, since averted, of the game being relocated interstate.
“I think it’s very important that the boys get to play in front of their fans and … get to have their families here as well at our home ground. It’s going to be a very exciting week and we look forward to seeing what happens tomorrow night.”
