Canberra United players hope to take focus off violent Melbourne A-League pitch invasion

United will play against Melbourne City under Friday night lights this week, shifting a home game to Seiffert Oval for a pre-Christmas "grudge match".

But game previews have taken a back seat this week as Football Australia and the Australian Professional Leagues deal with the fallout of a violent pitch invasion during a men's Melbourne derby.

The women's game has experienced its own Melbourne derby problems, with Victory fans throwing bottles at former City goalkeeper Teagan Micah last year.

The latest incident has put the spotlight on fan behaviour at a time the game should be celebrating the Socceroos' success and getting excited about the women's World Cup next year.

Canberra midfielder Laura Hughes says the best way for the players to condemn was to let their performances do the talking.

"We were on our flight when it happened and we had internet up there. It was very shocking to see," Hughes said.

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"It was really disappointing and not something we want to see in any football, that's not what we stand for. And we want to protect the players.

"Obviously crowds can get rowdy and things get yelled out, but I've never seen it get to a point where a player gets injured.

"We want to speak about the positive and when things like this happen, we need to learn from it and do it better."

The biggest focus for Canberra is making sure they get their season on track after suffering their first loss last weekend.

The clash against Melbourne City will be the first time they've played a top-four side this season, and they'll be trying to reverse a trend after losing four of the past five against the ALW powerhouse.

Hughes has been given the extra responsibility as the midfield general, taking over from injured Chinese star Wu Chengshu.

"It would be a big statement to the rest of the league [if we beat City]," Hughes said.

"Playing City is always a grudge match. It's always physical. They've been successful since they joined [the competition] and it took a while for anyone to knock them off their perch.

"You always want to beat the best teams, and I think their history has created that grudge match because everyone wants to be on top.

"We lacked composure even when we were leading [in the loss last weekend]. Even when we went 1-0 and then 2-0 up, it didn't feel like we controlled the game too well."

ALW ROUND SIX

Friday: Canberra United v Melbourne City at Seiffert Oval, 6pm

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