Motivation will not be a problem for the NRMA Insurance Western Sydney Wanderers in the lead-up to the third installment of the Sydney derby.
Motivation will not be a problem for the NRMA Insurance Western Sydney Wanderers in the lead-up to the third installment of the Sydney derby.
Captain Michael Beauchamp dismissed suggestions that after ten wins in a row the club could not be as motivated as their opponents, Sydney FC, on Saturday night.
Sydney needs to win to make the final six and if the Wanderers are victorious they secure the Premier-s Plate.
“We have put in the effort pre-season and everyone is motivated and there is hunger from the boys on the paddock and there is hunger in the office and everyone is planning for big things,” Beauchamp said ahead of training today.
“We have the motivation of the derby, we have the motivation of winning the plate, and we have the motivation for winning the grand final so there is plenty there for the boys to focus on.”
Beauchamp said there was no doubting the derby was a huge game for the club.
“Every game for us this season has been a massive game,” he said.
“We have been building on things throughout the season and we have always had things to work on.
“We are taking it like any other game but in a sense it is the derby and there is a chance for us to take the plate but we are not putting any more pressure on ourselves.”
A record-breaking ten wins in a row was a great feat but the club was not finished yet, he said.
“There are bigger prizes at the end of the year than that and I think without taking away from what we have achieved so far, the boys are very hungry for the rest of the season and for this game this weekend,” Beauchamp said.
“It has been getting bigger and better and you can see that from the crowd attendances and especially with the help of the RBB getting everyone involved.
“It is all a credit to the club and the boy-s performances on the field and that it is getting that big and we are very grateful for the support they have given us.”
Coach Tony Popovic confirmed that midfielder Aaron Mooy was likely to miss a week with a strained medial ligament but Jerome Polenz-s quad injury was not as bad as first feared.
Polenz may be fit again in a couple of weeks, he said.
In further good news, midfielder Shinji Ono trained for the whole session today.
Hear more from coach Tony Popovic in our video.
