Despite being a 17-year veteran of English football, Melbourne City keeper Thomas Sorensen admits his first derby Down Under is something he’s “looking forward to”.
Spells at Sunderland and Aston Villa saw him compete in two of the nations most heated on-field footballing rivalries, playing in both the Tyne-Wear Derby against Newcastle – which Sorensen believed was the most fierce he’s played in – and the Second City Derby against Birmingham respectively.
While his big game experience will no doubt stand him in good stead for his current club, he understands the pressures that come with games such as Saturday night’s clash against Melbourne Victory.
“I’ve played in [derby games] before – they are great occasions. For us, it’s three points but it has an added incentive and it’s great for the fans and for everybody who’s coming to the game,” Sorensen said.
“It’s a great atmosphere, and I think it’s always something as a player you look forward to, so I’m looking forward to this one as well.
“It tends to be intense games because there’s so much riding on it and you know everybody wants to win the game. They can be quite end-to-end and physical, so I think you know you’ve got to be ready for the atmosphere and expect the unexpected.
“As you say, funny things happen in derbies and it’s because everyone’s on edge and everyone wants to win. So we’ve got to expect that and go into the game ready for the fight and then hopefully we can play some good football.
“Hopefully in the build-up, I can use [my experience] from my time in England, but I’m sure the guys will be ready come Saturday.”
On notice for the Danish veteran is Melbourne Victory’s ‘king of the derby’ Besart Berisha; the 39-year-old shot-stopper well aware of the Albanian forward’s immense goal scoring ability.
“I’ve lined up against [Besart] Berisha while he was playing for Albania –that was quite a while back. He’s a goal scorer, a clever player. He’s proven that down here [in Australia] as well, so it’s someone you’ve always got to be aware of inside the box, because he’ll pop up.
But it all comes down to a man-to-man [situation], you can know everything about a player but you still need to beat him on the pitch. That’s what it’s got to be, us performing on Saturday.”