Friendships will be put on hold this Saturday evening when Sydney FC takes on the Central Coast Mariners in their first ever Westfield W-League local derby.

Friendships will be put on hold this Saturday evening when Sydney FC takes on the Central Coast Mariners in their first ever Westfield W-League local derby.

Sky Blues Coach Alen Stajcic says preparation for this week-s important outing has been going well and Sydney is set to take a strong side into the Campbelltown Stadium clash.

“Our three Matildas are out. Heather Garriock, Sarah Walsh and Jo Burgess are all carrying injuries but we-ve got plenty of depth and we-re doing fine,” said the Sydney mentor.

“The girls have stayed motivated at training this week and they-re looking forward to playing against the Mariners.”

With the bulk of both teams coming from the ranks of the New South Wales Institute of Sport women-s football program there-s already an undeniable, if friendly rivalry between the sides.

“They know each other well and some have grown up playing together back-to-front so that definitely adds to the occasion”, explained Stajcic.

Westfield W-League leading scorer, Leena Khamis expects the contest to be massive.

“Both teams will be fired up to see who-s better,” she said. “We- need to get over the top of them early in the first half and dominate possession then build on it from there.” she said.

The local derby kicks-off at 6pm this Saturday, November 22 at Campbelltown Stadium. Entry is free of charge.