Melbourne City midfielder Valon Berisha has guaranteed fireworks when the A-League Men leaders take on last-placed Melbourne Victory in the rivals’ first meeting since December’s violent pitch invasion.
“We want to smash them, they want to smash us,” Berisha said ahead of Saturday night’s derby at AAMI Park.
“They’re on the bottom and they need to improve and they’re going to go all in, especially when they play against us.
“Every time it’s going to be a battle.
“We’ve prepared well and we know that always when you’re on the top every team is going an extra 10 per cent against us.”
The round-eight derby was abandoned after just 21 minutes and crowd restrictions are still in place as part of sanctions imposed on Melbourne Victory by Football Australia in the fall-out from one of the darkest days in domestic soccer history.
Fans invaded the AAMI Park pitch during an emotion-charged fixture amid protests against the A-Leagues’ controversial decision to play grand finals in Sydney for the next three years.
Referee Alex King was injured and a television cameraman was hurt when struck by a flare, while City goalkeeper Tom Glover suffered concussion and lacerations to the face when hit by a metal bucket.
“That’s the past and we have moved forward,” Berisha said.
“Whatever happened, the decision has been made from the APL and all that.
“We are just concentrating on the game and want to get the win, especially against Victory.”
Glover recovered quickly from his injuries – keeping a clean sheet in the following match – and has since played a key role in City’s dominant season to date.
“We don’t even talk about that incident,” Berisha said.
“We talked about it after it happened and of course it goes on a little bit in the media but I don’t think he’s focused on that at all.
“He’s done really well for us and he’s a really good goalkeeper and he has a good mindset, so I’m not worried about that at all.”
Experienced French defender Damien Da Silva will get his first taste of the Melbourne derby on Saturday night as one of four Victory players recruited during the recent transfer window.
The former Lyon player has particularly fond memories of his time at Rennes, which included multiple wins over fierce regional rivals Nantes.
“People say that it’s a big derby,” Da Silva said of the Melbourne version.
“I’m excited to discover that but most important for us is to win.
“I wasn’t there (for the last derby) so it’s difficult for me to speak about that.
“I saw a little (video). It was no good, sure, but we are thinking about the next (derby).”
