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Jeff Paulus is playing to win when his FC Edmonton prospects host Cavalry FC in the second leg of the Al (Alberta) Classico on Saturday.

But how the team plays the game is actually more important than the result.

As head coach of the rebranded professional soccer club preparing to play in the inaugural Canadian Premier League season this spring, the exhibition game against the Calgary entry into the league will give Paulus another opportunity to evaluate prospective players.

The two teams met three weeks ago in Calgary and played to a 2-2 tie in the first leg of what is expected to be a yearly series.

“We’re going for the win even though it’s a prospects’ game and we’re looking at players at the moment,” Paulus said. “We’re trying to see where we’re at in terms of trying to build our roster, but it’s against Calgary, so we want to win it and our players want to win it. They enjoyed beating up on our academy kids last year in the first Al Classico, and now our senior players have taken a bit of offence to that.”