City Captain Bruno Fornaroli says the do-or-die nature of Sunday’s Elimination Final will see a much tighter affair between his side and Perth as he prepares for the winner takes all contest.
The nine-goal thriller between the sides days earlier equalled the record for goals in an A-League match and the Uruguayan believed what was on the line for both sides in the match caused this “crazy” result.
City and Perth will do it all again in Sunday’s Final to determine if they play Sydney FC or Melbourne Victory in the Semi Final and the forward believes there will be a lot more caution to the wind in this week’s encounter.
“I think the final will be different,” Fornaroli said.
“That was a crazy game because both teams needed to win, Perth needed to score a lot of goals and we needed to win for Asia [Champions League] as well but I think that was a one off. It’ll be a different game on Sunday.
“We tried to win but we need to stay more calm when we have the ball and try to create chances but also try to defend good and this is the first [priority].
“We have confidence about this game and everything is about us. If we put everything together and have confidence on the pitch, we can win.”
One of the big differences Fornaroli believes is in City’s favour is the home ground advantage and the striker’s impressive record at AAMI Park will bring confidence to not only the number 23 but his teammates as well.
“We have confidence in this game and we are playing here at home and it’s always better for us because the fans can come here and support us,” he said.
“We always learn from games; it doesn’t matter if you win or lose. In this sport, you need to learn, it doesn’t matter if you win or lose. Now we have a long week to fix everything, work hard and go for the final.
“We are here to try to win and this is what we want, this is what the club wants and the fans want and we are trying to do everything to win the playoff.
“I feel we can [win] and I have confidence in my teammates. We take it game by game, this is the first final and we only need to think about Perth. Now is the moment to keep going and try to win.”
City and Fornaroli face Perth in the second Elimination Final on Sunday night, kick-off 7pm AEST. Click here to secure your place at the match today!
