The Wanderers have failed to get on top of their bitter rivals in their last eight encounters, with only two draws to show for their efforts, while Sydney have been the victors on six occasions.

Western Sydney's A-League position also makes for unpleasant reading as they sit in seventh position and 18 points adrift of their cross-town nemesis after failing get a win in their last five games.

With more at stake than just bragging rights, Nichols said a positive result in the sold-out blockbuster could kick start their season again.

“We have to turn up on Saturday night and be ready for a fight and change that derby script around,” he said.

“We obviously want to get back to winning ways and get our season going. We just want all three points and there is not a better place than get our season back on track than in the derby.”

Nichols has not been satisfied with the Wanderers form of late and believes the key to victory is being solid in attack and defence.

“Obviously, we are not happy where we are at as a team,” he said. “We’ve had enough chances and dominated games, we just haven’t been clinical enough all over the park and that has shown with our results in drawing so many games.

“We’ve blown leads and conceded sloppy goals so, it’s up to us to be switched on for the full 90 mins and not allow that to happen on Saturday night.

Even with Matt Jurman and Sebastian Ryall missing from the Sky Blues' defence, Nichols still believes Sydney’s backline will feature a more than adequate replacement.

“We know what Sydney is about,” he said. “They’ve got a strong squad and they are going to have some players ready to step in and ready to step up. It’s just about playing our game and nullifying their strengths and hopefully coming out on top on Saturday.”

With Parramatta Stadium being rebuilt, the Wanderers have yet to register a win at any of their temporary home grounds and Nichols feels Allianz Stadium may provide the right setting for victory.

“It’s not our home game but our fans always turn up in numbers,” he said. “We’ll make the most of our fans turning out. It will be great spectacle and hopefully we can come out on top this time."