“Our focus now is to win the next four games. We want all 12 points.”
Our boys in blue are now three matches unbeaten as they continue their charge towards the end of the season.
Last week’s win against Perth Glory has moved Tony Popovic’s side up to this on the Isuzu UTE A-League table with four matches to go.
Coming off an important win against Perth, Captain Roderick Miranda said the boys are now “looking forward” to the Derby.
“Everybody, of course, is always confident after a win,” he said.
“It was good to have a break over the international window. The boys recovered a little bit of that positivity and energy.
“Now we’re all looking forward to Saturday. It’s an amazing game, everyone wants to play in Derbies. The boys are really looking forward to it.”
After going 15 matches unbeaten to start the season, our boys in blue experienced a bit of a down patch, losing three of the next five matches.
But you can never keep Tony Popovic’s side down for long. The boys have now gone three matches unbeaten, winning two of those as they look to build their form as they make their final push for the Premiers Plate with four matches to go.
Turning the team’s form back around, Roddy explained that they “just tried to make everybody feel confident and comfortable with the ball, try to create more chances, try to finish the actions”.
“We had an amazing run unbeaten, but in the end, we only had a few victories.”
“Our focus now is to win the next four games. Our goal after that, we can only see how the table goes. It’s not in our control.
“What we can control is the next four games and we want all 12 points.”
After Saturday’s Melbourne Derby, Nishan Velupillay, Jordi Valadon and Ryan Teague will all leave for the AFC U23 Asian Cup with the Olyroos.
“They’re all having an amazing season and a big congratulations to them,” Roddy said.
But with the three Olyroos boys set to miss at least the next month of A-League action, Roddy explained that “everybody’s ready” to step up.
“Everybody must be ready at this Club. And I think everybody is ready for the task and whoever plays will give their maximum to help get the team the three points.”
With a packed crowd set to fill the stands of AAMI Park on Saturday, Roddy said that he’s looking forward to the energy that the fans will bring.
“When the stadium is full, the boys have so much more energy,” he explained.
“Having many fans is so important. When it’s a Derby and we have the most fans in the stadium, we’re our best selves.
“We can’t wait to see the stands packed on Saturday. The fans always help us to give that extra bit of energy to get the three points.”
