For 90 minutes on Sunday, allegiances in the Vidosic family will be put on hold as Dario goes up against Brisbane Roar, the club coached by his father Rado.
For 90 minutes on Sunday, allegiances in the Vidosic family will be put on hold as Adelaide United midfielder Dario goes up against Brisbane Roar, the club coached by his father Rado.
Excluding the time the teams met in a pre season trial back in September, Sunday-s showdown at Suncorp Stadium will be the first occasion in the Hyundai A-League since Rado took over the head coaching role at the Roar that Vidosic senior and junior will find themselves on opposite sides of the fence.
The Reds- first match against the Roar for Season 8 is one Dario has been eyeing off since the 2012/13 fixture was released, and he believes his mother will be torn on where her loyalty lies on Sunday.
“I think mum will probably be on my side, she-ll probably want me to do well and for dad to win, but at the end of the day it-s all put aside, once the referee blows that whistle that-s the furthest thing from our minds,” Vidosic said.
“My dad will want to win and I want to win as well, so at the end we-ll shake ends, have a laugh, and I-m going to stay for an extra day after the game so I definitely want the bragging rights at home.”
While he usually wishes his dad the best of luck every week as well as asking for analysis on his own performance from the previous game, Dario admits the discussions on the phone with his old man have been a tad different this week.
“We speak every day about football and whatever-s happening so he-ll talk to me a bit about that, but I-m just looking forward to the game and I-m sure he is too,” Dario said.
“He gives me pointers on what I can do better and what I do well…he-s probably my harshest critic so I know when he tells me I played well, then I know I-ve played a good game.”
“Probably this week I doubt he-ll give me any tips but I-m definitely looking forward to the occasion, it-s a game on the calendar I definitely looked at first and was really waiting for.”
The Vidosic family ties may add another fascinating element to Sunday-s game, but Dario knows it is about a lot more than getting one over his dad.
After three wins from four matches, the Reds head the table and Vidosic has no intentions of giving it up. This, together with the fact Brisbane suffered what most would state was a shock loss to new boys Western Sydney Wanderers last weekend, has Vidosic predicting that the reigning Hyundai A-League champions will come out ferociously as they look to make up for a rare failure at home.
“I think everyone was caught off a little bit by that but it just shows the strength of this league,” Vidosic said of the Roar-s result with WSW.
“But we know they (the Roar) are going to be fired up this week and we-re looking forward to it, it-s going to be a good test and we want to remain on top of the table so I think it-s going to be a blockbuster on Sunday.”
“As the reigning champions they-re expected to win every game, but you can-t forget that they dismantled a very good Melbourne Victory team…so they-re capable of that and if you look at them last week, that wasn-t the normal Roar.”
“We-d love for that to happen again because it gives us a much better chance, but we-re prepared for a Roar 100 per cent firing and we have to be prepared otherwise we could also be on the end of a bad result if we think its going to be a walk in the park.”
Preparing to go back to his home state to play against a team he made 17 appearances for in the 2006/07 season, Vidosic also hosed down any talk of the Reds being equal favourites to finish on top at the end of the home and away rounds.
“It-s nice to be complimented on how we-re playing and how we-re travelling but that-s something we-re not focused on,” Vidosic said.
“There are still 23 games to go which is a very long time…and things in this league can change very quickly, so if we just focus week to week, train solidly, give all our effort and then put it together on the weekend, then I think there-s a chance we could be holding the minor premiership, but just the talk of it, that means nothing to us, we want to be holding it at the end.”
The squad will have two more training sessions before departing for Brisbane on Saturday afternoon.
