All will be on the line when two of the Illawarra Premier League's fiercest rivals go head-to-head on Sunday.
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Ladder leaders Wollongong Olympic will meet old foe and fellow unbeaten side United at PCYC, with top spot on offer for the winners.
The round-11 match will mark the halfway mark of the 2021 season and United coach Oli Vrtkovski said he expected a tough encounter.
"I expect much of the same from them. They do rely on their really tough, hard-nut defenders in Jack Keating, Mark Every, 'Rourkey' (James O'Rourke)," he said.
"So we expect that they will just play as tough as nails at the back and play direct into the likes of ex-player in Hikaru (Kawasakiya) and Van Elia, and get him into goal-scoring opportunities."
United are boosted by the return of Mason Versi from suspension, while Jaime Gutierrez has impressed since joining the club after a five-year stint playing football in Chile. Vrtkovski said the vibe around the club was upbeat but they had a lot of respect for Olympic.
"We're in a controlled environment where the mood is really high but we focus on one game at a time," he said.
"There's mutual respect, particularly around the players. Mark Every is a product of Wollongong United, he came through my coaching regime back in the Youth Grade days. There's Rourkey, who was at United under me and Hikaru as well. All of a sudden you've got a handful of their players who have played at our club and the rest of them know each other well. So I expect nothing but a real battle, but a clean one as well on Sunday."
For Wollongong Olympic, the match will mark their third IPL game in the past week, after securing a draw with Tarrawanna and beating Woonona in a catch-up game last weekend.
Olympic will miss Ben Zucco due to suspension, while Keating, Kawasakiya, Josh McDonald and Joey Lavalle remain under injury clouds. Coach George Antoniou said his team was under more pressure heading into Sunday's showdown.
"They're (United) very good defensively and they've got some good players going forward that can hurt any team, so we expect a very tough game," he said.
"From our point of view, there's a mutual respect between the clubs. They've obviously been successful over the last couple of years and they were very good last year. I believe we've got it all to do on the weekend, so hopefully we can get a competitive team up on Sunday."
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Round 11 will kick off on Saturday afternoon with Woonona hosting Cringila at Ocean Park.
The Sharks need a win to stay in touch with the top five, while the Lions are hoping to avoid last place on the ladder.
Top-five sides the White Eagles and Bulli will face off at Terry Reserve on Saturday afternoon, while cellar dwellers South Coast United and the Rosellas will meet at Ian McLennan Park that night.
Wollongong Olympic and United will face off in their derby at PCYC, while the round will be completed with the Blueys hosting the Rangers at Tarrawanna Oval on Sunday afternoon.
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
