With Hyundai A-League side Western Sydney Wanderers FC in town for Tuesday night’s Westfield FFA Cup clash, Adelaide City’s Nicholas Bucco described the vibes around his club as massive.
City host the Wanderers in one of the more enticing fixtures of the night in the Westfield FFA Cup round of 32, not least because of the excitement around the Wanderers.
“Everyone at the club is getting excited and the boys have been talking about it in the dressing rooms a little bit because it is hard to ignore,” Bucco said.
“After watching all the other local teams from other states playing against each other on TV, I just thought how good the concept is and how exciting it is that we are going to be in there representing South Australia.”
Bucco added it means everything to him to have the opportunity to face off against a Hyundai A-League side.
“Let’s hope that myself and a couple of my teammates prove that we are capable of stepping up against an A-League opposition."
After their establishment in 2012, Western Sydney Wanderers won the Premiership in their first season, before going on to appear in two grand finals - the most recent last season at a sold out Suncorp Stadium.
Adelaide-born Wanderers defender Daniel Mullen said the club would put aside its disappointment at losing last season's Hyundai A-League grand final to Brisbane and look to make its mark in history by winning the inaugural Westfield FFA Cup.
“Every competition is important to us; we’re a team that wants to win everything, so the FFA Cup is no different,” Mullen said.
Ironically, Mullen predicted the dream draw on Twitter after watching City confirm their place in the Cup after their Coca-Cola Federation Cup final win at Coopers Stadium.
“By the time we play Adelaide City, we would have had about three games already under our belt and we should be ready to put in a strong performance," he said.
In a twist of fate, Mullen’s father Joe played for Adelaide City in the NSL and his cousin, Matthew is part of the South Australia National Premier League club’s current team.
“I grew up watching Adelaide City and that was my team back in the old NSL, so I’ve got great memories of that club,” Mullen said.
“Now obviously my cousin, Matthew is there, so it’s going to be interesting.
“It’s going to be a pretty special night and we’re hoping for a big turnout; I’m sure some Western Sydney fans are going to make the trip down.”
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