SPY games have been in play ahead of Saturday night’s massive Melbourne derby at AAMI Park as tensions build towards of one of the most anticipated A-League showdowns of the season.

Wearing a hat and doing his best to remain unseen, Melbourne City coach John van’t Schip was an inconspicuous onlooker at Melbourne Victory training on Thursday as Kevin Muscat put his side through its paces.

The majority of Victory sessions — held in the open expanses of Gosch’s Paddock — are open to be watched by any member of the media or public, whereas most City sessions on its tarp-surrounded pitch at the club’s Bundoora headquarters are closed after 15 minutes.

It’s not the first time the two clubs have engaged in undercover scouting, as then Heart-coach John Aloisi once suspected Victory officials of spying on a closed AAMI Park training session from a corporate box.

Muscat isn’t one to hide formations or selections at training and happily declared Matthieu Delpierre (knee) and Gui Finkler (shoulder) fit to play on Saturday night after suffering injury scares last week.

Melbourne City coach John van't Schip. Source: Getty Images

Derbies of late have been dominated by the home team, with Victory winning five of the last six games at Etihad Stadium — drawing the other — and City winning the last three at AAMI Park.

But Muscat said there is no reason why his side can’t come up trumps at the home of its archrival in a game he admitted meant more to his team than most others.

Only goal difference separates City (3rd) and Victory (4th), but a win tonight is vital given Western Sydney and Brisbane were six points ahead at the start of the round.

“The occasion, when we do go to Etihad, we know there’s going to be a bigger crowd,” Muscat said.

“But as we’ve seen at AAMI in big games in the past, the atmosphere is something to behold — it’s an occasion the players look forward to.

“Ultimately I can go through all of the cliches — and every result, every performance does mean a lot to you — but this game does mean a little bit more, and there’s no shying away from that.

“We’d rather acknowledge that now than be overrated by it after 5-10 minutes in the game.

“The way the season has gone, it’s been billed — and rightly so — as one of the biggest games of the season and we’ll treat it accordingly.”