IT is potentially Sydney FC’s biggest game for years, with the possibility of getting one hand on the Premier’s Plate.

The stakes could not be higher when they host Melbourne victory on Friday night, which is why FC coach Graham Arnold is pleading with Sydney fans — even the most irregular — to furnish an intimidating arena at Allianz Stadium.

First against second, with the home side looking to extend a generous lead at the top into something effectively unassailable, is a compelling prospect. But so, argued Arnold, was the calibre of players on view — no Del Pieros in name, but two gung-ho forward lines that have scored 88 goals in 42 games between them.

“We can make the atmosphere intimidating for Melbourne because any team can be intimidated,” Arnold said. “The fans at Allianz are close to the pitch and it can be noisy, it’s not an easy place to come and play at as an away team.

Graham Arnold wants the home fans to ratchet up the pressure on Melbourne. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

“So I’m appealing to the fans to come out of the comfort of their lounges and not just be our 12th man, but experience the sheer quality of players like Milos Ninkovic, Bobo, Alex Brosque and so on.

“One of the unique things about the A-League is that away fans don’t travel, outside the derbies.

When we go to Brisbane or Perth or Adelaide, there are maybe 50 or 60 Sydney FC fans, but maybe 12,000 home supporters and they make a lot of noise.

“It makes a difference. We move into the last half a dozen games before the finals series so it’s about getting better and better because the games are getting bigger and bigger.”

Despite Sydney’s 44 goals this season, Arnold demanded more from his attacking quartet, believing they could make an even bigger statement of their potency.

“With us it’s about our confidence and our belief and our trust in each other and the belief in what we’re doing,” he said.

“The area we need to get better in is being ruthless in front of goal. We need to follow our gut feel and put teams away, not think too much.

Milos Ninkovic is no guarantee to return to the A-League next season. Source: Getty Images

“We have the quality in front of goal but we need to give the players that belief, so we can punish teams with the chances we create.

“The lesson we took out of the derby loss (against Western Sydney) was we weren’t ruthless enough. We had the opportunities to finish the game off and we didn’t. There’s no excuses, we move forward.”

Sydney FC’s hopes of keeping playmaker Milos Ninkovic remain in the balance.

Arnold said the club would not know until the end of the season whether a contract pitch centred on being in Sydney would hold sway over multimillion-dollar offers from the Middle East.

Exceptional all year in Sydney’s charge towards the Premier’s Plate, Ninkovic has deflected all queries about his future — certain to be fielding offers at least equal to the US$800,000-a-year contract Qatari side Al Gharafa tabled before the start of this season, a deal to which Sydney refused to agree.

“We’re working hard on his wife and his kids — happy wife, happy life, etc,” Arnold said. “Ninko’s in a good space at the moment and he’s such a fantastic person. He’s enjoying life here in Sydney, he loves the club and sees what we do for him to be able to perform at the level he’s at.

“We’ve had discussions, and they are that he wants to wait until the end of the season. He’s got one thing on his mind and that’s winning, that’s all we’re looking at the moment.

“He’s definitely in the top five (players to have featured in the A-League) — he’s exceptional. He’s a player like Diego Castro at Perth that you’d pay money to go and watch. He does things on the pitch that are top European quality.”