Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold lauds players for Wanderers clash

Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold has served notice his team is ready to continue their dominance over Western Sydney.

Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold reckons his players have never looked better at training than this week. Picture: Gregg Porteous

Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold has served notice that his team is ready to continue their dominance over Western Sydney, claiming he has never seen a better series of training sessions than the one ­produced by his players this week.

As he has done for much of the season, Arnold exuded confidence and was full of praise for his team as they prepared to wrap up preparations for what is likely to be the last Sydney derby of the season at ANZ Stadium tonight.

The Sky Blues will go into the game aiming to continue their ­unbeaten run this season and looking to take a big step towards claiming the Premier’s Plate.

A win or a draw will also see them equal Apia Leichhardt’s 30-year record of going 20 matches unbeaten to start a season, achieved during the days of the National Soccer League.

Sydney will also start firm ­favourites to stretch their ­imposing record against the ­Wanderers.

The Sky Blues have won six and drawn three of their past nine ­encounters with their bitter rivals. Western Sydney have not beaten them since a 1-0 win at Parramatta Stadium on January 11, 2014.

Arnold, however, is not worried about statistics nor the fact the Wanderers have yet to register a win in two previous attempts at ANZ Stadium this season, or in six games at nearby Spotless Stadium, the grounds they are using as their home bases while Parramatta ­Stadium is being rebuilt.

“We don’t worry about what their home record is or what they are doing; we just control our end,” Arnold said yesterday.

“We have a massive belief in this squad. I have been saying we have only been functioning on 60 to 70 per cent of our ability.

“But the way they have trained this week, I can see a big step up ­tomorrow. I think they’ll get to 80 per cent, maybe even more, ­tomorrow night. The enthusiasm, the quality in the training sessions this week have nearly been the highest I have ever seen coaching in the A-League and that’s all down to the belief of the players and what they are doing and the trust factor they have in each other and the mateship.

“I’m expecting a big performance and I am expecting to win.”

As for the prospect of equalling Apia’s record, Arnold said he was unaware of it until it was brought up at the press conference.

“I didn’t know about it and I am not looking at it. If you start looking at those sorts of things you get distracted,” he said.

“The most important thing is we still have competition for ­places in the team. I still haven’t decided on the make-up of the starting line-up.

“We have Brandon O’Neill coming back from suspension. Everyone is fit and ready to go. Everyone wants to play.”

Despite this being the third Sydney derby of the season — Sydney won the first 4-0 at ANZ Stadium and the second ended in a 0-0 draw at Allianz Stadium — ­Arnold does not believe it is starting to be overkill.

“It’s always a wonderful ­occasion especially for the fans, and exciting times for the players. It’s always a big game and there is always something happening. We go to ANZ tomorrow night knowing our form there is very good,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s losing its ­lustre.

“The crowd numbers show they love it. There should be 50,000 there tomorrow night. We got 60k for the first game and 40k for the second, so that’s over 150k for three games.

“One day soon it will be the two Sydney teams in the grand final and we will pack the stadium out.”

With an 11-point break over second-placed Melbourne Victory, the only team with a realistic chance of catching the Sky Blues for top spot with seven games to go after this round, Sydney will go into this match knowing a win will just about wrap up the Premier’s Plate.

The Wanderers will be desperate for a win. They are in seventh spot, equal on points with sixth-placed Newcastle Jets.

While they have the same for and against goal differential, Western Sydney are behind the Jest because they have scored fewer goals and a loss at ANZ ­Stadium tonight could have ­serious consequences.