3 minute read
Sydney FC face massive games in both the Asian Champions League and the A-League, in a huge week for the club.
Sydney FC have headed overseas ready to lift for the biggest week of their season, with massive games on foreign and home soil.
The Sky Blues face Ulsan Hyundai in South Korea on Tuesday in an Asian Champions League fixture they must win to have a realistic chance of advancing from their group.
Five days later, they host old rival Melbourne Victory in an A-League semi-final, a repeat of their clash from the corresponding stage last year when the Victorian club won a dramatic extra-time encounter in Sydney.
"The whole season has really been leading up to this week, so for me personally this is probably the most important week of the season so far," Sydney left back Michael Zullo told AAP.
Captain and forward Alex Brosque and right back Rhyan Grant didn't travel on Saturday due to heel and hamstring injuries respectively, but Zullo headed to South Korea after missing the last four games with a slight hamstring strain.
"it was a really minor injury," Zullo said.
"I'm feeling good, I haven't really missed any training or games this season apart from the last few, so fitness is not a big issue.
"Since the pre-season, I think I've played 37 games, so there's definitely enough fitness built up there and I don't think I've lost anything in my time off."
Sydney are bottom of their four-team Champions League group with three points from four games and just two rounds remaining.
Only two points separate them from second and Zullo feels the Sky Blues should have had better returns from their earlier games.
'We've done extremely well in every single game we've played this year and I think we honestly do deserve to be on a lot more points, we could easily be top of the group," Zullo said.
"Thinking about the (3-3) game against Shanghai in Sydney which we probably should have won and maybe could have gotten a point in Japan as well, they (Kawasaki Frontale) scored their winner in the last few minutes.
'But also the (home 0-0 draw) game against Ulsan we dominated, we just couldn't hit the back of the net.
"But I think we've solved that problem, since then we've score a lot of goals in the last couple of games and the boys are very confident.
"Obviously going into the game it's a must-win for us and I think it would be good for the club and also good for Bimbi (Sydney coach Steve Corica) as well and the other players to progress through to the next stage of the ACL.
"Everything is concentrated in this game and then recovering and doing everything we need to do to get ready for the semi-final five days later."
