Fresh will be best for Cup

GRAHAM Arnold believes Sydney FC have a clear advantage ahead of tomorrow night’s FFA Cup final and he’s confident his team will make the most of it.

While their opponents Adelaide United have had to travel up and back down the coast after beating the Central Coast Mariners, the Sky Blues have enjoyed a week- long preparation at home.

Sydney beat the Newcastle Jets at Allianz Stadium on Saturday night and, with the short turnaround in mind, Arnold has made sure his squad is as fresh as possible for tomorrow’s final at the same venue.

“( Luke) Wilkshire I rested, obviously Matty Simon I rested. Then Ninko ( Milos Ninkovic) played 60 minutes so he’s fine and ( Alex) Brosque 60 minutes, so he’s fine,” Arnold said.

“At the end of the day we’ve probably got six or seven fresh players. Josh ( Brillante) and Brandon ( O’Neill) are running machines – they could probably play another game to- morrow if they had to. So it’s been fantastic — we don’t have to travel.

“Adelaide have had to travel twice, to the Central Coast and back to Adelaide, then back ( here) on Monday. We’ve been here, we had a good week and with the boys there’s no concerns at all. They’re fit and ready to go and firing on all cylinders.”

Sydney are also likely to be boosted by the return of Adrian Mierzejewski. The Polish winger came off the bench against the Jets and Arnold says he’s a good chance of starting tomorrow.

“It’s not easy to come back in with 20 minutes to go, pelting down with rain, a heavy pitch and the game is end to end,” Arnold said. “He’s 100 per cent fine for Tuesday – he’ll be in the squad.”

The Sky Blues hold the Premiership and Championship trophies, but Arnold says they are desperate to complete the treble by claiming the FFA Cup.

“It’s a trophy this club has never won – I know it’s only been around for a couple of years,” he said.