Sydney FC’s win over the Wanderers caught Melbourne City coach Rado Vidosic off guard

Sydney FC wasn’t the team Rado Vidosic was expecting his Melbourne City team to be playing in the A-League semi-finals.

Melbourne City coach Rado Vidosic is preparing his side for the ‘best possible Sydney FC’. Picture: AAP Image/Julian Smith

Melbourne City coach Rado Vidosic admits he wasn’t expecting his team to be facing Sydney FC on Friday night, saying he was “surprised” the Sky Blues won their A-League elimination final against the Western Sydney Wanderers.

Sydney is the only team that finished outside the top four to still be alive after they beat the Wanderers 2-1 at CommBank Stadium last Saturday.

As the lowest-ranked team remaining in the finals, Sydney’s “reward” for beating the Wanderers is a two-legged semi-final against premiership winners and championship favourites City.

“Leading into this final part of the season, Western Sydney Wanderers looked really good,” Vidosic said,

“They were dominating teams, they were freely scoring goals, (Brandon) Borrello was like a world-class player, their signings were starting to fit into the structure, so yeah I was a bit surprised (that Sydney beat the Wanderers).

“But Sydney FC had a fantastic second half against the Wanderers and they won the right to play in the semi-final in that second half, which is hard do in an away game, but they were excellent.”

Melbourne City coach Rado Vidosic is ‘surprised’ his side is playing Sydney FC in the A-League semi-finals. Picture: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images

Despite an injury cloud hanging over star Sky Blues winger Joe Lolley (hamstring), Vidosic said City was “preparing for the best possible Sydney FC”.

Vidosic was confident the City’s Socceroos winger Mathew Leckie would start Friday night match in his ongoing comeback from his own hamstring injury.

“He has had two big weeks. We did a little bit of extra work with him. We had an intra-club (last) Friday, and everyone that participated dd really well, so at this moment ... Leckie is looking good to start,” City’s coach said.

Vidosic also backed star import Valon Berisha to play after he missed City’s final-round 3-2 win over the Wanders with a nagging hip problem.

“He’s another one who had a cracking (intra-club) game last Friday, a cracking week this week, so he is putting his hand up to start,” he said.

Vidosic said City would treat Friday night’s match as a “grand final” despite the teams meeting each again in next week’s second leg in Melbourne.

“Because the grand final will be in Sydney. we’ll have to do it all over again if we are in that game, and you have to win that game. There’s no game back in Melbourne a week later,” he said.

“It is a dress rehearsal, and hopefully we can win this game and prepare ourselves the best we can for the grand final.”