Melbourne Victory head coach Kevin Muscat says his team will head to Allianz Stadium to face Sydney FC on Saturday night “without any fear”.
Sydney is on top of the Hyundai A-League ladder after four rounds with four wins, having not conceded a goal to date.
But Victory comes into the game with strong Hyundai A-League form, having won its last two games against Wellington (6-1) and Adelaide United (2-1).
“Make no mistake, we will go across there without any fear whatsoever. We always maintain the belief in what we are trying to do,” Muscat said on Thursday.
“Sometimes results can be perceived as a knock on confidence or belief, but all in all the playing group have maintained that belief.
“We’ve done well in terms of performances (in Sydney), certainly in my time. Our preparation has been great.”
Muscat has noted differences in Sydney FC’s make-up, particularly with personnel, which will make it a different proposition to the one Victory faced last season.
“It’s a different squad and they’ve brought in different players,” he said.
“They are quite a bit more mobile than they were last season – they press a little bit more.
“Their structure is a traditional ‘Arnie’ (Graham Arnold) structure. They’re very, very solid without the ball, but dangerous.
“They’ve had a settled squad. They’ve managed to put the same team out four games in a row, apart from (David) Carney and (Alex) Brosque.”
