Sydney FC coach Vitezslav Lavicka and his team took no delight in seeing bitter rivals Melbourne Victory cop a hammering loss against Perth Glory.
Sydney FC coach Vitezslav Lavicka and his team took no delight in seeing bitter rivals Melbourne Victory cop a hammering loss against Perth Glory.
The Sky Blues know the humiliating 4-1 defeat will have left the Victory players feeling embarrassed, hurt and hungry for redemption.
New Victory boss Jim Magilton questioned his players’ pride and discipline in the wake of the heavy defeat and has demanded a response.
And the Sydney players are expecting to face a fired-up opponent as the Victory look to make amends in the Australia Day blockbuster at AAMI Park.
“We know they wouldn’t be happy with that performance and they said that in the media so we have to be ready. They’re not going to play like that twice in a week,” Sydney FC defender Rhyan Grant said.
“We have to be ready for them to come out firing and I’m sure they will.”
“It’s always a big clash against Melbourne… They’re a quality team, got quality players and we know they’re not going to play like that again.”
“We’ve got to be on our guard… Hopefully we can counter that and get a good result down there.”
“It takes a couple of weeks or even longer to get the style of play to come out under a new manager.”
“[Magilton’s] only been there a couple of weeks now but they’ve still got a great team and they know how to play.”
The two sides last met in the very first game of the season, with Sydney coming away from Etihad Stadium with a hard-earned 0-0 draw.
Sydney goalkeeper Liam Reddy was a standout in that match and said he is wary of a Victory team with a point to prove.
“They were disappointed with themselves against Perth and it’s always a big game when Melbourne play Sydney,” he said.
“We know what we’re going to get from them…it’s going to be a very tough encounter.”
“They’ll be looking to respond.”
A hamstring injury to youngster Terry Antonis means Lavicka needs to find someone to slot in alongside skipper Terry McFlynn in central midfield.
Grant has played that role before but is likely to stay at right-back where he has performed strongly in the last couple of weeks.
And the 20-year-old is keen to stay in the fullback position so he can go head-to-head with in-form Victory star Harry Kewell.
“It’s going to be a big test for me and something I’m looking forward to,” Grant said of the coming up against Kewell.
“He’s been in pretty good form lately and is one of the biggest names in Australian football.”
“It’s a good challenge for me and hopefully I’m up to it and we can get the three points.”
Asked how he would go about trying to nullify Kewell, Grant said: “I just have to be wary, he’s a great player and very skilful.”
“Whether I catch him or not it’s going to be a dangerous game for me.”
“I have to be on my A-game I suppose and really look out for those tricky skills he pulls out.”
A win for Sydney, who are currently in the last finals spot in sixth place, would see them open up a seven-point gap on the finals-chasing Victory.
