Sydney FC Head Coach Graham Arnold has set his sights on beating Sydney United 58 FC and winning the inaugural Westfield FFA Cup, declaring that he has the better footballers.
With strong ties to both clubs, Arnold is looking forward to the spectacle of his Sky Blues facing off against United in the round of 16 at Sydney United Sports Centre in three weeks time.
“I don’t think it’s any secret that we have the better individual footballers with better qualities,” Arnold said.
“It’s a competition that no doubt myself and the club and the players want to win so we’ve got to look at the next cab off the rank and that’s Sydney United.
“They’ll have been out of season for a month and we just have to turn up with the right mental attitude,” he continued.
“It’s the chance of a life time for them to play against Sydney FC or an A-League club and we have to go there with the same mentality no matter what’s in front of us. We have to be strong mentally and go there and put in a performance like we would if we were facing the top A-League team in the country.”
After the venue was confirmed on Monday, Arnold is pleased to be returning to Sydney United Sports Centre, a ground where he carved his name as a player and later as a manager.
Arnold made over 100 appearances for the then Sydney Croatia, scoring 68 goals, and the club recently bestowed him with a life Membership for his services.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to return to Sydney United Sports Centre,” Arnold said.
“They awarded me life membership only last year out there at King Tomislav and I’ve got a lot of friends out there from Sydney Croatia days.
“The stadium itself will bring back a lot of great memories for myself but it’s going to be a tough challenge, it’s a beautiful football pitch out there now, that the players are excited to go and play on. We’re looking forward to the occasion.”
GET YOUR MEMBERSHIP NOW! – Get in quick and make sure you don’t miss a moment of Sky Blues action this 2014/15 Hyundai A-League season by purchasing your Sydney FC Membership now. Enjoy a seat at every home match and free public transport to the games. Sign up to our Newsletter now to keep up to date with all the clubs happenings.
