Western Sydney skipper Marcelo has issued a rallying call to his teammates, labelling their meeting with Brisbane as the biggest game of the club’s season.
With their top six aspirations written off a fortnight ago following a 7-0 loss to Melbourne City, the Wanderers have steadied the ship and strung back-to-back A-League Men wins together for the first time this season.
Marko Rudan’s side sit sixth - four points ahead of City, their nearest challengers - but a win over the Roar at CommBank Stadium on Friday will only enhance their grip on a finals place.
The Wanderers have not featured in consecutive finals series since 2017 and with a Sydney derby and games against City and Melbourne Victory to follow, Marcelo knows his side must strike while the iron is hot.
"Everybody remembers who wins the title, but nobody remembers what happens in the (regular) season," he told AAP.
"Hopefully we can go with a strong team to the finals but first we have the Brisbane game this week.
"This is a really important game for us, maybe the most important game of the season and all the players know it."
Western Sydney have knocked over Macarthur FC, Adelaide United and Perth in recent weeks and it has helped that for the first time this season Rudan has had his near-strongest side at his disposal.
Strikers Brandon Borrello and Marcus Antonsson are fit, goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas is back on deck and German import Sonny Kittel is beginning to show signs of settling into Australian football.
Marcelo said the Wanderers had drawn inspiration from the City loss, using it as a turning point to re-focus their energy on the back end of the season.
"We looked at each other as men and as professional footballers you realise that it’s not acceptable to lose 7-0," he said.
"A team like the Wanderers can never lose like that, it was really embarrassing for everyone but we have understood what we need to get ourselves in the right position."
