He’s won two A-League grand finals at Etihad Stadium, and Seb Ryall hopes on Friday night the venue will begin a path towards a third.
The Docklands stadium will host the “Big Blue” between Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC – an elimination final to kick start this season’s finals campaign.
The two powerhouse clubs have already met once there this season, a 5-0 blow-out which took even FC coach Frank Farina by surprise.
Ryall scored a wonder-goal in that game – dribbling from right-back past four defenders to score with the outside of his boot – and said that result gave Sydney a boost.
“It gives us confidence but it’s going to be a tough match,” he said.
“We’ve got respect for Melbourne Victory. They’re a good side but, in a finals match, anything can happen.”
Sydney can also draw confidence from their form against the Victory.
They are unbeaten in four against Kevin Muscat’s side, with the 5-0 win the pick of the bunch.
Ryall said while he couldn’t put his finger on why that dominance had been established but he knew what was coming.
“I can imagine they’re going to come at us tomorrow and really make it hard for us to play,” he said.
“Our key is Alessandro (Del Piero) and it helps us when teams come at us. We know what to expect from then.”
Good Friday’s edition of the oldest rivalry in the A-League will bring a new leader to the all-time head-to-head, which sits at 9 wins apiece with 13 draws.
Ryall is in a select group of two to transfer to the Victory from Sydney FC, winning the 2009 championship with the Melbourne outfit before returning to win in 2010 for his new side on penalties.
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