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Victory and Sydney eager for A-League’s big showdown

Sydney's Filip Holosko and Bobo celebrate victory over Melbourne in March - a result the favourites aim to repeat at Allianz Stadium.

Sydney's Filip Holosko and Bobo celebrate victory over Melbourne in March - a result the favourites aim to repeat at Allianz Stadium.

Kevin Muscat is sorry to burst Graham Arnold’s bubble, but grand final week is not “round 29”, as his foes in Sunday’s A-League grand final insist on calling it.

The approach to Sunday’s season decider at Allianz Stadium has been starkly different in each camp. Hot favourites Sydney are hell-bent on sticking to the same routine that’s delivered the premiership and a host of records.

Sydney FC coach Arnold and his players have made “round 29” their catch-phrase, signifying that they will be approaching the season’s climax with a business-as-usual attitude.

Now the A-League season comes down to this: one match in which premiers Sydney FC face off against runners-up Melbourne Victory in a heated decider.

And if Sydney FC fluffs its lines at the worst possible time, it will be the biggest showcase in Australian football’s history of how unjust the finals system is.

Never before has the A-League had a team so superior to the rest in the regular season.

Sydney FC broke a bunch of records en route to lifting the Premiers’ Plate — with 66 points from 27 games, it amassed a record points tally, and also broke the record for biggest margin between first and second, sitting 17 points ahead of the Victory.

That dominance came in no small part due to the sensational exploits of Milos Ninkovic, the clear winner of the Johnny Warren Medal, finishing seven votes ahead of his nearest challenger.

While both Arnold and Victory coach Muscat confirmed a healthy respect between Australia’s two biggest teams, the mind games continued at Saturday’s pre-match media conference.

Sitting next to Arnold, Muscat took issue with ’round 29′ tag.

“It’s a grand final, because there’s no round 30 is there?,” Muscat said, adding that his team is pumped for the big occasion.

“We’ve embraced the week. We don’t think there’s anything to be scared of. It’s a grand final and I’m not afraid.

“You turn up for the first couple of days in pre-season and it’s probably where you want to be. And very quickly it turned into where we expected to be.

“This is the position we expected to be in.”

Arnold on Saturday conceded this was a bigger game than any other, but explained his methods had been about minimising any potential disruption inside his squad.

“It’s about preparation, it’s about routine,” Arnold said.

“It is a big game. We know that, clearly.

“But the message to the players is routine. What you did for the other 35 weeks with pre-season and carrying out the game plan is the key.”

The famously fiery pair have a significant history, but that will be left behind on Sunday and their only concern will be taking home the A-League championship.

“There is a professional respect without doubt on the football side of things,” Muscat said.

“It’s ultimately a game of football that we’re all trying to win.

“Very very soon the time will come when the words will stop and actions will dictate who is going to win.

“We’ve got a lot of threats and we’ll utilise them as soon as possible and see how far it takes us.”
-with AAP and ABC

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