Western Sydney Wanderers manager Tony Popovic says he and his side are excited by the looming top of the table clash against Melbourne City on Friday evening.
Western Sydney were beaten by Melbourne City 3-2 in a thrilling contest last time they met at AAMI Park less than a month ago, a loss that ended their 10-game unbeaten run.
The Wanderers fought back from a two-goal deficit that night only to be downed by a late piece of brilliance from City’s French winger Harry Novillo.
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With only a month between meetings for the two sides, Popovic says that defeat, despite a strong performance, still feels fresh for his team and is desperate to put the score right.
“It is fresh, I think it’s fresh for them (City) as well,” Popovic said.
“They scored three fantastic goals, we certainly played our part. It ended our unbeaten run, but it wasn’t down to a poor performance.
“On another night, it’s a game we could quite easily have won. So soon after that we get a chance to put it right and get the three points.
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“We saw the many good things that we did in that game. To be 2-0 down and to come back … is a real positive.”
Popovic added that captain Nikolai Topor-Stanley will to return to the heart of defence for Friday’s game, with youngster Jonathan Aspro the unlucky one likely to miss out, all the while praising the 19-year-old’s development and maturity.
“Nikolai will come back in. He’s our captain, he’s our leader, he’s done fantastic for us this year.
“The boy (Aspro) is maturing day by day. We gave him a great experience last year in the Champions League and also in the league … you learn a lot as a young player in those periods.
“He always did well in tough times and he’s had a disrupted preseason, but looks more of a man now than a young boy last year. He’s growing with confidence and learning every day.”
The Wanderers sit atop the table on 30 points heading into Friday’s fixture, but visiting City lie just two points behind, and a win would see the Victorians overtake the Parramatta-based club.
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