He’s no stranger to derbies in the A-League and now Iacopo La Rocca is looking forward to his first taste of the Melbourne Derby on Saturday night.
La Rocca’s man of the match performance on Friday night saw the Italian-born defender fit straight into the City defence, keeping a clean sheet for his side in the process.
With the first Derby of the season looming, La Rocca says his side will take confidence from their positive opening round performance.
“Personally, I was confident because I trust every player in my team,” La Rocca said.
“The last game, everything went well and we had to build up and continue like that.
“If I made a mistake, I know that Bart [Schenkeveld] or Jako [Michael Jakobsen] could cover me or Eugene as well.
“It’s not just important for the back four but it’s important for all the team. It’s just the first game so you have to continue like this.
“If we work hard not just in defence but from the front, I think we can do well.”
La Rocca has fronted up in the Sydney Derby before with the Wanderers and knows the type of atmosphere that’s involved both on and off the pitch.
“I’ve played in the Sydney Derby and I think the Melbourne Debry is just as big of a game,” he said.
“In the derby, you always give a bit more. You don’t need motivation because you know what it means and I’m looking forward to playing in it.
“We want to win every game. We know it’s not going to be easy but if we give it our all, we can get points. We also know what the derby means to the fans as well so we will do it with that as extra motivation.”
City and Iacopo face Victory on Saturday night at Etihad Stadium, kick-off 7.50pm. Don’t miss our return to AAMI Park next week as we take on Wellington Phoenix on Saturday 21 October, kick-off 5.35pm. Click here to get your tickets for the match.
