“They're the champions, it's going to be a tough game and they're the measuring stick of the competition,” Rudan said after training this morning.

“They're building momentum, they haven't lost and won their first match last week. And we pay respect for that.”

Rudan added that while he felt Melbourne was the benchmark, Sydney is the club everyone wants to hate.

“It's different for us. Everyone seems to say that Sydney is the team that fans, players hate the most. I don't think you can say the same for them.”

Rudan admitted that the fixture has a special attraction. “Two of the biggest teams in the country who don't like to lose, so then someone's going to have to pay the price. That's what makes it so special.”

And he hopes the Sydney sporting public, which doesn't have other football codes to focus on, turn out in force for this A-League “superclassico”.

“We've both won championships. It's always special when we play.”

Two clean sheets in a row has Sydney going in with confidence. And with the surface in excellent condition, it augers well for a quality contest.

In news from Melbourne, defender Matthew Kemp has been recalled to the Victory squad. Kemp is the only inclusion to the side that defeated Queensland Roar last week, with coach Ernie Merrick expected to finalise the 15-man squad in the hours leading up to the match.

Defender Daniel Piorkowski has being cleared by medical staff after dislocating his shoulder last week.