Wanderers boss Marko Rudan says the “downtrodden” people of Western Sydney provide his side with the right motivation as they bid for a second-straight derby win.
The second-placed Wanderers host Sydney FC on Saturday at CommBank Stadium, with over 25,000 expected to flock to the A-League Men blockbuster.
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The Wanderers got one over their rivals earlier this season when Kusini Yengi’s goal gave them a 1-0 win in the first derby to be played at the rebuilt Allianz Stadium.
Rudan is keen to ram home the disparity between the suburbs his club represents and the ones that are seen as Sky Blues territory
“There is a divide and I’ve educated my players on the divide,” Rudan said on Thursday.
“There’s a clear disparity between the people who live in the east and west – it’s blue collar against white collar.
“I’ve said it before, and I said it after we beat Sydney on their turf, this is for the people.
“(Our people) feel downtrodden, they feel like they’re lesser of the two in society as well.
“It happened when I was growing up and it certainly is the case right now, it’s an area that has done it tough.
It (an upbringing in the west) is something that sort of stays with you. It makes you stronger and that’s what our people are about.
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Rudan also took a shot at Sydney FC after Wanderers fans struggled to gain entry at Allianz Stadium at the first derby of the season.
“There was nobody there (for the warm-up) because we heard there were a lot of problems with the turnstiles and stuff,” Rudan said.
“That won’t be the case for the travelling Sydney FC fans, we wouldn’t want to play those kinds of games.”
A derby win would give the Wanderers a boost heading into the back end of the campaign after they signed Tunisian forward Amor Layouni on loan until the end of the season.
Sydney are just inside the top six and after two straight wins and head coach Steve Corica is hoping they have turned the corner.
Corica’s position was subject to scrutiny earlier this year but a derby win would set them up well for the run towards the finals.
“We didn’t start the season that well but we have a lot of belief,” said Corica, who hinted that Socceroos leftback Joel King could come into calculations for Saturday after re-joining the club on loan.
“It’s the right time of year to start winning games and we’re in a decent position to strike.
“This is what they look forward to, and this challenge away from home is something we relish.”
