Sydney FC boss Steve Corica is confident of upsetting Melbourne City to reach the A-League Men grand final, insisting the pressure is firmly on the premiers as they host the second leg of the delicately-poised semi-final.
A second-half penalty from in-form Sydney forward Adam Le Fondre at Allianz Stadium secured a draw for the Sky Blues, who will head to Melbourne next week for winner-takes-all showdown.
But statistics are firmly stacked against Corica’s side.
City have not lost at their AAMI Park home through 13 regular season games and Sydney haven’t beaten Rado Vidosic’s men on their home turf in nearly five years.
City finished 17 points above Sydney during the regular season but Corica, whose side are undefeated in seven games, sees no reason why they should fear a trip to Melbourne.
“We’re happy to go down there, our form is really good away from home,” Corica said.
“We’re looking forward to it, it’s obviously a tough place to go.
“We’ve been there many times before and it’s always tough going there but it is a one-off game that could go to penalties or extra time.
“I think they’ve got the pressure, they’re at home as well.
“No one expects us to beat them but I think after tonight we showed we can.
“There’s going to be opportunities for us next week, ig we take them, we’re in with a real shot.”
Corica wasn’t sure if English import Joe Lolley was closer to starting after nursing an injury through the last few weeks of the season.
Lolley got through a 35-minute cameo, coming on for fellow winger Robert Mak, who complained of tightness in his hamstrings.
“We’ll see how he (Lolley) goes during the week, he’s been a lot better this week,” Corica said.
“He was better on the pitch as well and another week is a lot with these little niggles.
“He (Mak) has a little bit of tightness and it was precautionary to make sure we can continue with him, he should be right next week.”