Melbourne City coach Aurelio Vidmar acknowledges being wary of Melbourne Victory’s attacking threat ahead of the first-ever A-League Grand Final meeting between the crosstown rivals next weekend.
Vidmar’s side confirmed their progress to the season-ending clash on Saturday as a 1-1 draw with Western United completed a 4-1 aggregate win for City, who will take on Victory following their 2-1 success over two legs against Auckland FC.
“It’s a Grand Final,” Vidmar told a post-match press conference. “You’ve got to be ready for it.
The best team will win. “Very rarely you play poorly in a Grand Final and win it. So the team that performs close to their best will win. You can’t think too far ahead. “Let’s hope it’s a good game. Two good football teams. They’ve got so much power in the front area, we’ve defended so well this year.
“We also have a few things up our sleeve up top as well. I think it should be an entertaining game for the fans.”
A 3-0 win in the first leg last week had put City in command of the tie, and a 20th-minute strike from veteran fullback Aziz Behich extinguished any hope of a Western United comeback, with Noah Botich netting a consolation for John Aloisi’s side.
The result, coupled with Victory’s success in Auckland, means the two Melbourne-based sides will meet in the season-ender for the first time in the 14 seasons since City joined the competition as Melbourne Heart in 2010.
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“The stars have aligned for football fans next week,” said Vidmar. “It’s going to be a super week, we just have to enjoy it. “Whatever comes our way, I’m sure there’s going to be lots of things happening, but we’ll just try to keep as calm as we can and enjoy it. You can’t shy away from it.
“Some will probably handle it better than others, I imagine, but the message from me will be just to keep calm, to enjoy it and not put too much stress on yourself and come out to be at your very best on the final day of the season.
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