Buoyed by their first win of the season, Sydney FC are bent on toppling fierce rivals Western Sydney in their latest A-League men derby.
Create a free account to read this article
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
With only two days to prepare under new coach Ufuk Talay, Sydney showed their mettle with a 5-1 clobbering of Adelaide United last time out to set up the first hotly anticipated clash of the campaign against the Wanderers.
Marko Rudan's Western Sydney are top of the table, above Melbourne Victory, Wellington and Macarthur FC on goal difference, while the Sky Blues sit tenth with only one win from four going into Saturday's meeting.
Young midfielder Jaiden Kurchaski says the players have full belief in their new coach, who has vowed to restore Sydney to their past glory as a powerhouse of Australian football since replacing Steve Corica.
Kurchaski was electric in the relentless performance against the Reds, notching a brace and an assist to complement star winger Joe Lolley's two goals and two assists.
"If you don't have confidence in your manager and the players around you, there's no point in playing," Kurchaski said on Tuesday.
"He wants us to win trophies and that's definitely portrayed in training and the way he acts around the club.
"Especially after that win on the weekend, it rose the boys and we're definitely ready for the derby this weekend."
Sydney prevailed 2-1 over the Wanderers in their last meeting in May to knock their rivals out of the finals, overcoming a boycott by The Cove.
The club's active supporter group chose to boycott their men's side over the A-League's controversial decision to sell grand final hosting rights to Sydney for the next three years.
The A-League has since replaced that deal with "Unite Round" where every club will play in Sydney across one weekend in January.
With more than 30,000 fans expected to fill Allianz Stadium on Saturday night, Kurchaski is resolved on getting his first win in the Sky Blue colours.
"If (the fans) come back, I want to be playing my best football," he said.
"The two games I played in last year off the bench, we unfortunately lost and then I wasn't part of the two wins we had at their ground.
"So hopefully we can get a win this week which I'm a part of.
"If you're going to be up for it, you're going to possibly win the game but if you're not, you can get battered."
Australian Associated Press
