Melbourne City's Osama Malik believes Westfield FFA Cup success could turn his club's fortunes around just like it did for former employers Adelaide United when City meet Victory in Tuesday night's blockbuster semi final.
City are just two games away from winning Australia's national knockout competition, with archrivals Melbourne Victory in their way on Tuesday night.
After their demolition derby ten days ago - winning 4-1 - Malik insists John van 't Schip's side cannot expect to be so dominant again on Tuesday.
"It's a derby. You never know what's going to happen," he said.
"They're [Victory] going to come out all guns blazing and we need to be at our best because we obviously weren't [against Perth], so we're going to have to be much better."
Sydney FC await the winners of Victory versus City in the FFA Cup final after accounting for Canberra Olympic last week.
Sydney FC cruise into Westfield FFA Cup final
Malik was at Adelaide when the Reds won the inaugural FFA Cup in 2014, ending an almost nine year drought without a trophy, and just over a year later the South Australian club claimed the A-League double.
City's senior men's team have never won a trophy and Malik reckons this year's FFA Cup could define the club's history for the next few years.
"It's huge. So far, obviously, there's been no silverware won by the club, so there's a great opportunity for us to do something special, and a semi-final against Melbourne Victory - our biggest rivals - so it's a massive game," the City defender said.
The 26-year-old is convinced Adelaide's FFA Cup triumph helped the Reds win their maiden Hyundai A-League championship last season.
With the Hyundai A-League's championship decided by a grand final, the ability to win one-off matches is critical in Australia.
"I think you've got to build momentum and get used to winning," Malik said.
"You see teams who lose a few finals, like Western Sydney, sometimes it's difficult.
"So look, once you get things get rolling and get used to winning it becomes a bit of a habit."
That winning mentality is something that City - and their predecessors Melbourne Heart - have often struggled with.
On Friday night, City lost 3-2 at home to Perth Glory having entered the match as overwhelming favourites based on their 4-1 Melbourne derby triumph over Victory on October 15.
