He's the Canberra man plotting United's downfall only minutes away from his childhood home, but either way Sydney FC's Ante Juric reasons the capital will have something to cheer for.
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The Sky Blues will be out to claim the Premier's Plate for the first time in a decade when they meet United at Viking Park on Friday night.
But it would come at the cost of knocking the hosts out of W-League finals contention for a fourth straight season.
So it's a bittersweet homecoming for coach Juric, who was raised in Kambah and played junior football at the heart of United's south-side territory.
Even he's not sure who his family will cheer for come the round-14 kick off.
"On a nice note, if we won the premiership then the Canberra boy wins the premiership," Juric said.
"But on a bad note, Canberra is knocked out of finals. It's a little sad in some ways, but we'll see how it goes."
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Juric has led Sydney for five seasons and become the first W-League coach to reach three consecutive grand finals.
But the Premier's Plate keeps getting away, with the Sky Blues finishing third thrice and second once under his guidance.
He's more concerned about the journey rather than the destination, with the 47-year-old mentor saying "we're just worried about our performance work rate and work ethic, and the rest will come."
Sydney sit two points clear atop of the table with two matches left to play, but Vicki Linton's Canberra stands in their way of claiming the silverware tonight with their finals hopes hanging in the balance.
Only two points separate second from fifth, with Canberra and Brisbane each having one game to play and Melbourne Victory two.
"It's definitely tough and they need to win. It's not ideal for us to go away from home against a team so desperate," Juric said.
"We want the premiership and they want to make finals so it's huge.
"I think Vicki has done a great job there, admittedly in the last couple of years I don't think Canberra has been as strong as they are this year. And I'm talking on the park, not necessarily the personnel.
"She's galvanised the group a bit, you can see that from a distance. They'll be tough to beat.
"We beat them convincingly a couple of weeks ago, but I think they weren't at their best and we were at our best. So let's see how this week goes in terms of that."
The Sky Blues dealt Canberra a 4-0 thrashing in round seven, the only match Linton's outfit has been held goalless this season.
Sydney's dominance this season has been nothing short of remarkable considering they'd lost key internationals Caitlin Foord, Chloe Logarzo, Alanna Kennedy and American Sofia Huerta.
Juric's outfit has the least amount of international players of any team, but their absence has seen the rise of threatening trio Remy Siemsen, Princess Ibini and Cortnee Vine - who all sit in the W-League's top-ten scorers this season.
"We tried to do something different to what most teams would do and not have foreigners or Matildas. This is probably the first team for a long time that's been successful," Juric said.
"It's clicked in a lot of ways but I think the most important thing for our team is because we're so young, I think the average age is 21, is being mature with our consistency and trying to do the right things all of the time - rather than having one excellent game and then not so good another.
"That's been important for them to realise, and also from them to realise that you have to step up. You can't wait for a Huerta, [Lisa] De Vanna in the past, or a Kennedy or a Foord. They've grown as individuals which is excellent.
"Closing out every minute ... has allowed them the comfort of knowing they'll play as long as they do well, without looking over their shoulder with an international or Matilda who usually takes position regardless."
Juric is a member of the Capital Football Hall of Fame and played more than 200 matches in the now-defunct National Soccer League, across stints with Melbourne Knights, Sydney Olympic and the Canberra Cosmos.
That came after a stint with Canberra Croatia and the AIS, which paved the way for him to represent Australia at the 1993 Youth World Cup and eventually the Socceroos four times.
"I'm a Canberra boy through and through," Juric said.
"It's still home for me in a lot of ways even though I've been away for 20 years. I'm always back there, it's where I grew up.
"I love Canberra, I was very lucky with the grounding that I had there and having the AIS around the corner as a 16-year-old. I trained full on even at that age, it was very fun and I have fond memories."
W-LEAGUE
Round 14 - Friday: Canberra United v Sydney FC at Viking Park, 5.35pm.
Canberra United squad: 1. Keeley Richards (GK), 2. Emma Ilijoski, 4. Kendall Fletcher (c), 5. Lauren Keir, 6. Bianca Galic, 7. Rachael Goldstein, 8. Laura Hughes, 9. Demi Koulizakis, 10. Grace Maher, 12. Hayley Taylor-Young, 13. Paige Satchell, 14. Jessie Rasschaert, 15. Jessika Nash, 18. Isabella Foletta, 19. Nicki Flannery, 20. Sasha Grove, 23. Michelle Heyman, 29. Chantel Jones (GK). *two to be omitted.
Sydney FC squad: 1. Jada Whyman (GK), 2. Teresa Polias (c), 3. Charlotte McLean, 5. Ally Green, 6. Clare Wheeler, 8. Rachel Lowe, 9. Allira Toby, 10. Remy Siemsen, 11. Cortnee Vine, 12. Natalie Tobin, 13. Natasha Prior, 15. MacKenzie Hawkesby, 16. Claudia Cholokian, 17. Angelique Hristodoulou, 18. Taylor Ray, 19. Charlie Rule, 20. Princess Ibini, 30. Katie Offer (GK). *two to be omitted.
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