Midfielder Luke Brattan is yet to play an A-Leagues match for Macarthur FC, but before he does, he wants to win the Australia Cup.
He knows what it takes to win the competition after winning it with Melbourne City in 2016 and then again with Sydney FC last season.
“They're pretty hard to make Finals, so when you do make one, you’ve got to make the most of them,” he said.
“Starting at a new club, you're ambitious and want to win trophies, so it's a fantastic opportunity to start off well this season.”
Ahead of the final on Sunday, Brattan said the squad is focussed on the game plan and preparing as if it was a normal game.
“It's a special game and a big week, so you have got to enjoy it but try and stay as grounded as possible and do what you usually do and prepare as a normal game,” he said.
“There are little distractions that you know about, but you don't really think about, you’ve just got to stick to the plan, and we will train all week on how to beat Victory.”
Melbourne Victory come into the Final as what many consider the favourites to lift the trophy, in part due to a +12 goal difference through four games, and the large home crowd expected at AAMI Park.
However, Macarthur will also be without their talisman striker and captain Valère Germain after he was shown a late red card in the Semi Final.
Brattan said he will be a big loss, but the players in waiting will give everything in his place.
“He's our captain, he's one of our best players, and he's a big miss, but you know, we’ve got the squad to replace him, and I know whoever comes in will give it everything,” he said.
And speaking to the same issue, Macarthur Head Coach Mile Sterjovski added: “It's a difficult blow for us, but we'll see this week at training who might fill that spot.
“We have quality players who can play a few different positions, so we'll see this week at training, who does the best job there, and we'll go from there.”
Sterjovski has been using this week in training to remind the players of the importance of the match, and he said the team knows what is at stake.
“It's an exciting time, the club has been through a bit in the last few years and for a club of our size coming up against a big club like Victory, it'll mean a lot to us,” he said.
“We know that it qualifies us for Asia, so there's a lot riding on it, and we're looking forward to it, the boys are really pumped for the match.”
The winner of the Australia Cup books a place in the AFC Champions League Two and is quite often set up for a strong A-Leagues campaign.
Luke Brattan agreed with that point, and he finished by saying that this squad of players at Macarthur are ready to win silverware and push on for a memorable A-League Men campaign.
“I think we've got a great squad, a great bunch of boys, the staff have been great, and I think we can do something special this year, in the league and, of course, the Cup,” he said.
“We’ve got our minds focused on the job, and we want to go there and win the trophy.”
Australia Cup Final 2024 Details
Melbourne Victory FC vs Macarthur FC
Date: Sunday, 29 September 2024
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
Kick-off: 7.10pm AEST
Gates Open: 5.45pm AEST
Broadcast: 10 Bold and 10 Play
