Western Sydney Wanderers defender Jarrod Carluccio believes the Red & Black are building a team capable of being feared across the A-League Men, declaring his side will go “full pedal to the metal” in Saturday night’s Local Rivalry against Macarthur FC.
Fresh off an emphatic 5-2 victory over Auckland FC at CommBank Stadium, the Wanderers head to Campbelltown with confidence growing under head coach Ufuk Talay and a determination to continue building on their promising start to the 2026/27 campaign.
Speaking ahead of the clash, Carluccio made it clear that while the Wanderers respect the threat posed by their local rivals, their focus remains firmly on implementing their own footballing identity.
“We’re very focused on what we’re going to do and how we’re going to play our football,” Carluccio said.
“Macarthur are a dangerous side and we definitely don’t take them lightly. They’re a team that can hurt you on the counter and have some really good players going forward.
“We’ll be wary of that, but we’re just going to implement our style of football and continue to build.”
The Wanderers have shown encouraging signs in the opening weeks of the campaign, with their attacking intent and resilience on full display during last weekend’s five-goal performance against Auckland.
For Carluccio, those performances are only the beginning of what this Wanderers side is capable of achieving.
“I think we’ve laid foundations now that have shown that we can be a team that is dangerous and a team that is feared across the league,” he said.
“We want to keep building, we want to keep improving on what we can, making our strengths stronger and improving on things that we need to work on.”
Asked whether the Wanderers have the game plan to overcome Macarthur, the defender delivered a confident response.
“Definitely. We back ourselves. We’ll be full pedal to the metal come Saturday.”
That belief extends beyond this weekend, with Carluccio adamant the squad has the ambition to challenge at the business end of the season.
“Definitely. If you don’t believe that, I don’t think you should be competing in the league,” he said.
“We believe we can be there right at the very end of the season, but it’s going to take a lot of work and a lot of patience and improvement every week.”
Saturday’s encounter also carries the added intensity of a Local Rivalry, a fixture that has developed a reputation for fiercely contested battles and memorable moments.
Carluccio knows exactly what to expect when the two Western Sydney sides meet, particularly with the Red & Black faithful set to make their presence felt on the road.
“I think this game every season seems to have some drama and some controversy and a bit more bite to it,” he said.
“We’re looking forward to it and I’m sure the boys will be up for it. Our fans will continue to travel in numbers like they do every year.”
With confidence growing and the Red & Black faithful preparing to travel to Campbelltown, Carluccio and his teammates have their sights firmly set on another statement performance as they look to continue their unbeaten start to the A-League Men campaign.
