One third of the campaign has elapsed, and City hold second spot, but that might only be on sufferance if local rivals Melbourne Victory can win, with their game in hand.

While Sydney have spent the first third of the season blazing a trail at the top of the standings, the two Victorian clubs, along with Brisbane Roar – who drew 1-1 with City in an ill tempered and controversial affair on Saturday night – have been stalking them.

Victory have a game up their sleeve following the cancellation of their fixture earlier this season against Wellington Phoenix in New Zealand because of an earthquake: if that game was played tomorrow and Kevin Muscat's side picked up three points they would actually be ahead of City on the league table and in second spot on goal difference.

That, of course, is hypothetical. What is not is that Victory could, and should, already be breathing down their FFA Cup-winning rivals' necks, but for their inability to finish off Perth Glory on Friday night.

That game finished in a 1-1 draw and although Muscat took consolation from the fact that Victory's performance was excellent and they created lots of chances, he can take little satisfaction from their finishing, which let Perth off the hook.

City must travel to Sydney on Friday night for a game against Graham Arnold's Sky Blues, the team they defeated 1-0 in the final last Wednesday night. That game will be played at ANZ Stadium, so Sydney – not to mention the FFA – will hope that after nine weeks of the season the gloss hasn't worn off the Tim Cahill signing and that the Socceroos legend will be able to draw a big crowd to Homebush.

Twenty four hours later it will be Victory's turn to test the Sydney market in a game against Western Sydney Wanderers that is sure to create a raucous, if not heated, atmosphere when the league's two best supported clubs meet at the same venue.

City have now had three high intensity matches – against Wellington, Sydney and Brisbane – in the space of six days, so van 't Schip's side will be grateful for the six-day break before they face Sydney.

The coach has been prepared to gamble with selection all season, insisting that his is a strong squad and that he has every confidence in those lesser known players whom he can bring into the starting line-up.

He demonstrated as much on Saturday night when he made six changes to the starting side that won the Cup on Wednesday evening, and still managed to get a point.

And no matter how much some coaches might complain about his team's in your face playing style, it won't be changing.

"We are just an aggressive side that wants to press high, and with pressing high sometimes when you do that you make fouls but we don't make fouls to injure players," van 't Schip said .

"That's our game, we are improving, we are getting better, we want to keep the ball in the opponents' half, and when we lose the ball we want to get it back as soon as possible."