There are three Australians on the books at Manchester City. But Aaron Mooy, Luke Brattan and Anthony Caceres are unlikely to have penetrated the consciousness of the average City fan.

LANGUAGE WARNING: It seems Bruno Fornaroli's profane sign off after Melbourne City's breakthrough FFA Cup win might have been lost in translation.

In a thick Uruguayan accent a very excited Fornaroli thanked sponsors and fans, before proceeding to say two English words it seems he knows very well.

Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold could only shrug his shoulders and smile.

Sydney FC goalkeeper Danny Vukovic has shown his tender side, carrying an injured seagull to safety in Wednesday night's FFA Cup final.

Melbourne City are aiming for a first piece of men's silverware as they take on A-League leaders Sydney FC at AAMI Park.

Tim Cahill says Melbourne City have eyed off the FFA Cup since pre-season as a way to break through for the club's maiden piece of silverware.

Melbourne Victory battled hard and worked tirelessly before submitting to the W-League's flagship team Melbourne City.

There's a buzz in the air at Melbourne City and a spring in the step of John van 't Schip's players as they prepare for one of the biggest weeks in the A-League club's history.

With its dedicated locker room, warm-up space, showers and a small lecture theatre, the new facilities Melbourne City have built for their women's team raises the bar for other W-League clubs.

Western Sydney Wanderers were left fuming over a contentious referee decision that cost them the opening goal against Melbourne City.

A man who wasn't part of the Socceroos' disappointing World Cup draw against Thailand occupied a fair portion of the post-mortem discussions, and he will be out to prove to Ange Postecoglou on Friday night that he still has a role to play on the testing road to Russia.

Melbourne City hope to have Argentine midfielder Nicolas Colazo back in the team for their home game with Wellington Phoenix on November 27.

When you have a well-earned reputation for free flowing, rollicking soccer, it's hardly surprising that teams take a cautious approach and try to shut you down.

Melbourne City coach John van 't Schip has laughed off accusations Bruno Fornaroli uses his body illegally, reminding John Aloisi he used to play the same way.

Simulating is as bad as boots-up tackling saus coach ahead of clash with Melbourne City.

Tim Cahill may have missed out on a Socceroos call up for the next World Cup qualifier but the veteran is at least named in Melbourne City's extended party for Friday night's A-League blockbuster with Brisbane Roar.

Melbourne City face their third high-profile game in seven days when they host champions Adelaide United on Friday night and flying winger Bruce Kamau could be one of several fresh faces in the line-up.

Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat has been cited for a breach of the FFA's code of conduct for his criticism of referee Shaun Evans during Tuesday's FFA Cup semi-final.

Like many teams involved in Cup ties before them, Sydney FC have been hit by the luck of the draw and factors beyond their control, which mean that the FFA Cup final between themselves and Melbourne City will be played at AAMI Park on November 30.

Kevin Muscat didn't want Melbourne Victory's 4-1 drubbing by cross town rivals Melbourne City in the first derby of the A-League season to be the reference point for the rest of the campaign.

Melbourne City's early-season bubble burst somewhat with a 3-2 home loss to Perth Glory on Friday night - a defeat that, said coach John van 't Schip, is a stark reminder for his players of how hard they have to work and how intensely they have to compete if they want to dominate the competition.

It took Tim Cahill just 27 minutes into his A-League debut for Melbourne City to make the club's near $4 million joint outlay with the FFA seem like a wise investment.

Tim Cahill had Etihad Stadium rocking on Saturday night when he sent a screamer flying into the back of the net to give City a 1-0 lead in the Melbourne derby. 

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Despite repeated warnings from police and the soccer clubs that fans behave themselves, four fans were arrested and 13 evicted from Etihad Stadium overnight.

Tim Cahill made his long-awaited A-League debut as the two Melbourne clubs squared off in this early-season fixture.

Tim Cahill has made many debuts since his professional career took him to the four corners of the world to play at the highest level in Europe, North America and Asia.

Tim Cahill is relishing the chance to play against Melbourne Victory.

Tim Cahill will be under more scrutiny than any player ever has been in an A-League game when he makes his official debut for Melbourne City on Saturday night in the first Melbourne derby of the season.