Melbourne City won’t use fatigue as an excuse if they fall short in Saturday night’s derby at AAMI Park.
Having arrived back in Melbourne last on Wednesday night following a 2-1 AFC Champions League Elite win in Japan on Tuesday over Machida Zelvia, City will be less fresh than a Victory team that hasn’t played since beating the Glory 2-0 in Perth last Friday night.
However, City veteran Andrew Nabbout, who scored a stoppage-time winner in Japan, had no doubt that a derby that doubles as a grand final rematch would inspire his travel-weary team.
“We’re not tired – we’re ready for it,” Nabbout said.
“It’s a derby. You don’t need any motivation. It’s a big one for our fans, it’s a big one for our club.
“It’s the first time we’ve played them since the grand final. There going to be looking for revenge and we’re ready for it.
“It doesn’t matter who’s not there on game day, it just matters who’s in that change-room and on the pitch, and the boys are fully aware of that.”
City prevailed 1-0 in last season’s grand final, with the defeat beating the Victory’s second successive loss in an A-League title decider.
Andrew Nabbout insists Melbourne City will be switched on in Saturday night’s derby. Picture: Masashi Hara/Getty Images
However, Victory coach Arthur Diles insisted that grand final revenge was not a motivator or his team.
“There’s a lot of bodies missing from that (game) and a lot of new players playing (on Saturday night),” Diles said.
“It’s a new campaign, new season, new team with new players. We know the expectations, and we know the significance of this match.
“It’s early in the season but every game is so important. We’re looking forward to (the derby).”
Diles also played down suggestions that the Victory would have the edge on Saturday night due to City’s taxing schedule.
“I don’t look at that as an advantage, I look at that on the flip side. They (City) come now with confidence and belief (after winning in Japan).” he said.
“People forget what that does to teams, when you have a massive result. The flow-on effect from that is high confidence.
“It happens all over the world. If it was that much of a disadvantage, all the clubs in Europe that play in the Champions League, play every three days, the big clubs, they’d be losing on weekends, but that’s not the case at all.
“We’re definitely not looking at that as an advantage for us. That’s just part of the game.
“They’ll be up for it, and we’ll be up for it.”
Arthur Diles has played down Melbourne Victory’s derby advantage. Picture: Scott Gardiner/Getty Images
City coach Aurelio Vidmar said his team would be as “ready as we can be”.
“We know it’s always difficult. but we’re not using that as an excuse,” Vidmar said.
“Our guys mentality right through this period has been spot on. It’s been first-class.
“Our guys have not complained about it at all. They have got their heads down, they understand what it is and will prepare the best way we possibly can to put in a good (derby) performance
“It’s a derby, so you have to be up for it anyway. We’ll be as fresh as we possibly can be.
“We’ll make some changes, like we did on Tuesday night, and try to put the best team out on to the park to perform well.”
AloJapan.com