Melbourne City FC Head Coach John van’t Schip said his side are focused on this Saturday night’s Melbourne Derby, following a week off to recharge the team’s batteries for Saturday night’s clash.
Van’t Schip’s side were scheduled to face the Western Sydney Wanderers in Round 10 last Saturday, but with the match rescheduled due to the Wanderers’ FIFA Club World Cup commitments, the Dutchman felt a weekend off will have a positive effect on his side entering into this weekend’s vitalRound 11 clash.
“We had a long weekend so we made good use of that to have a rest,” van’t Schip said.
“We know that we will have had some heavy weeks ahead of us with a lot of games so we’ll have our first session now and prepare ourselves for the game.”
After a promising win against Brisbane Roar in Round 9, van’t Schip acknowledged the atmosphereexpected at AAMI Park would make for a special occasion, saying he is expecting nothing less than an action-packed event.
“Derbies are always intense,” van’t Schip said.
“It’s going to be physical, it’s going to be emotional, all the things you expect for a derby,
“There has not been one that has been different. We know that the last one we gave away in the second part of the game and we want to do something to make sure that we are better prepared for this game.”
The 5-2 loss to Victory in the first Derby of the season has not left the mind of van’t Schip, saying his side would draw on the defeat to motivate them this weekend.
“We won’t ignore it,” van’t Schip said.
“If you look at the team as we are now, this week will be about preparing ourselves the best possible way and coming out with a team that is capable of playing a good game on Saturday.”
The Head Coach also hinted that the wholesale changes made in the last match against the Roar has put the side on notice as Melbourne City FC will look to seek redemption this Saturday night.
