Daniel Arzani won't beat around the bush - he wants to end his former team Melbourne City's A-League Men season.
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A sudden-death reunion is on the menu for the Melbourne Victory star and Arzani is ordering a knockout for their cross-city rivals when they face off in an elimination final at AAMI Park on Sunday.
City claimed a 1-0 victory over Western United in the final round of the regular season to leapfrog Western Sydney and seal sixth place, leaving coach Aurelio Vidmar confident their last-gasp effort will put them in good stead against Victory.
But if Arzani has his way, City won't be seeing past the first round of finals.
There's no love lost between the 25-year-old and his former club, with Arzani adamant it will be strictly business come the first whistle of the sudden-death derby.
Debuting in 2016, the Iranian-born midfielder featured for City on 24 occasions before embarking on an European adventure two years later.
On his return to Australia in 2022, he opted for a one-season campaign at Macarthur FC instead before landing at Victory.
Asked if he held a soft spot for City, Arzani doubled down on his switch in allegiances.
"No, it's going to be cold-blooded on Sunday," he said on Wednesday.
"Look, it's tough because I started out my career at Melbourne City. They gave me a great boost to make my way into the national team but now it's the business end of the season."
Arzani walks into the weekend in red-hot form, finishing his first regular season at Victory with four goals and six goal assists across a career-high 27 appearances.
"The boss (coach Tony Popovic) has helped my career massively. I'm very grateful to everyone," he said.
"We've worked so hard all year and Victory have treated me like family since the day I got here."
Victory claimed a 2-1 triumph over their fierce opponents in their most recent derby in April, coming home with bragging rights courtesy of goals from Bruno Fornaroli and Damien Da Silva.
Popovic's men may have fallen short of ending their home-and-away season with a win, losing 4-3 to the Wanderers, but Arzani said the team is bullish about their chances.
"We're very confident going into the game," he said.
"It was a minor slip-up leading into the finals. We're not really that worried.
"We've had no trouble all season unlocking teams."
Australian Associated Press
