As Melbourne City prepares for the 18th edition of the Melbourne Derby, City midfielder Erik Paartalu says his side is hungry to continue the side’s positive momentum this Saturday night.
City come into the contest after picking up maximum points in their last three encounters and the midfielder has said that this week’s contest will be a true test of how far his side has progressed.
“We need to be beating teams like Victory regardless of the circumstance and it’s a great opportunity for us on Saturday night,” Paartalu said.
“Football changes very quickly and a week is a long time in football given the results in the last couple of days but heading into a Derby, that goes out the window.
“They are going to be hungry to get the points more than usual, that’s for sure, but that’s something we need to be ready for. We’re on a great run ourselves and we don’t want to let it finish.”
“It’s nice to be feeling confident and it’s nice to be feeling up beat but when it comes to game day, it’s serious and I’m sure both teams will be hungry to get the three points.”
Paartalu believes the mood in the dressing room has also had a role in his side’s free-flowing brand of football and feels the unity in the group is something that will get his team over the line.
“We have a great facility, great care from the staff and great training sessions so everything is there for us as a platform and only recently we started to really believe in that and that culture,” Paartalu said.
“The culture is being created every day and is getting stronger and stronger, and for the first time it’s starting to feel like a real football club.
“I think the way we’ve played is more encouraging than anything else. It’s been great to score goals but if you look at the way we’ve created chances and the possession we’ve kept as well it’s something we have worked on the training ground and it’s great to see it actually working on the weekend.
