For Nicolas Milanovic, the Sydney Derby has never been a fixture he has had to learn about or grow into. As a Western Sydney boy and lifelong Wanderers supporter, the rivalry was part of his football upbringing long before he ever had the opportunity to experience it as a professional player.
Now back in Red & Black ahead of the 2026/27 season, Milanovic is preparing for a fitting first competitive challenge following his return to the Club, with the Wanderers travelling across the city to face Sydney FC in Matchweek 1.
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For Milanovic, the significance of the occasion is deeply personal.
“I really genuinely don’t like Sydney FC,” Milanovic told the Unscripted Podcast.
“Not a lot of people do who are born in Western Sydney.”
That feeling is not manufactured for Derby week. Milanovic grew up supporting the Wanderers, became part of the RBB at just 10 years old and spent his formative years watching the rivalry develop from the stands.
It is a connection that has remained with him throughout his career, even as his football journey took him away from Western Sydney.
“For someone like me, the rivalry is genuine because I’ve been a fan,” he said.
“I’ve been part of the RBB since I’ve been 10 years old.”
That history gives Milanovic a perspective few players can genuinely claim.
He understands the importance of the fixture from the view of the supporter because he has lived it himself. He knows what the build-up feels like across Western Sydney, what is expected when the team crosses the city and why the result can carry far beyond the 90 minutes.
His return to the Wanderers ahead of the new campaign has only sharpened that connection.
Milanovic came through the Wanderers pathway before establishing himself at senior level and developing into one of the competition’s leading attacking talents. After spending time away from the Club, his return brings him back to familiar surroundings, but with greater experience and a stronger understanding of the responsibility that comes with representing Western Sydney.
GET YOUR TICKETS TO THE AWAY SYDNEY DERBY HERE.
That responsibility will be tested immediately in Matchweek 1.
While the opening weeks of any new season are usually shaped by tactical adjustments, new combinations and teams finding their rhythm, Milanovic believes the Sydney Derby often follows a different set of rules.
“You could put 11 different Sydney FC players and it will be a tough game,” he said.
“Tactics are right out the window for those games. Whoever wants it more just wins.”
It is a view shaped by years of watching the contest produce moments where form, reputation and expectation count for little.
For Milanovic, Derby matches are ultimately defined by who embraces the occasion and who is prepared to match the intensity that comes with it.
That is part of what makes this Matchweek 1 meeting particularly significant. For the Wanderers, it is the beginning of a new campaign. For Milanovic, it is also the continuation of a relationship with the Club and the region that began when he was still a child standing in the RBB.
He has watched Sydney Derbies as a supporter, experienced them as a professional and now returns to one wearing the badge he grew up following.
There will be players in the squad for whom the rivalry is still relatively new. Milanovic is not one of them.
For him, the meaning of the Sydney Derby was established years ago. He understands the history, the emotion and the expectation because he has experienced all of it from both sides of the fence.
When the Wanderers walk out at Allianz Stadium in Matchweek 1, Milanovic will not simply be representing the Club he plays for.
He will be representing the Club he grew up supporting and the part of the city he has always called home.
