But despite being in only their second year of operation, Bleiberg believes it is his Gold Coast troops who can claim to be the more experienced side with Roar's roster looking vastly different from this time last season.

"The Roar have six years history, and the Gold Coast are only in our second year. It looks like a game between an old team and a young team, but somehow with how things panned out, I think the Gold Coast now is the old, established team, and the Roar have become a young, unpredictable team, so it will be interesting to see what happens on Sunday," Bleiberg said.

He continued: "I don't know what to expect from them - I believe even their coach doesn't know what to expect of them, because it's the first round. But we are ready. 

"If the Roar are very good, then maybe our solid pre-season is not good enough. If they are not that good, they will pay the price, it's a simple as that."

Gold Coast's cause will be bolstered by Shane Smeltz who will again lead the attack for the home side as they look to get their season off to a flying start.

Smeltz was a thorn in the side of Brisbane last season, bagging four goals in the three derbies, but Roar boss Ange Postecoglou, who fronted media with his United counterpart today, says the 19-goal striker is far from the only threat posed by Bleiberg's men.

"The whole idea is to beat the Gold Coast, not stop one player," Postecoglou said.

"I don't think anyone does that in world football anymore. Try and stop Smeltz, and somebody like a Joel Porter or Culina can cause just as much damage - not to mention Tahj Minniecon and Caravella.

"They've got some good attacking players. Certainly from our point of view, it's more about working effectively as a unit.

"The first round's always a bit of a dicey one and you don't know what you're going to get from the opposition.

"I guess from our own point of view you want to see how all the hard work you've done comes out in the first game. I don't think there'll be too many surprises.

"The reality of it is you only get three points for it - you don't get six points for it. Regardless of who we were playing first round, it's going to be an important game for us. The fact that it's Gold Coast makes it a little bit more special."

Having registered three wins out of three against Roar last season, United will be keen to keep their perfect record going against their arch rivals.

 Bleiberg called upon Gold Coast fans to turn out in force and make the atmosphere one to remember as the derby rivalry gathers pace and builds tradition.

 "Games like these are what football is all about and it promises to be a great occasion. For someone from the Gold Coast there's nothing quite like beating a team from Brisbane, so I hope our supporters bring their friends and family and enjoy what will be a good game of football and a fantastic day out," added the United coach.