Football
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Corica calls for focus on form, not turf, ahead of ACL clash

While as unimpressed as everybody else with the shabby state of the SCG playing surface, Steve Corica believes it's high time his Sydney FC squad were given credit for their resurgent form.

The Sky Blues host cashed-up Shanghai SIPG on Wednesday night at Jubilee Stadium in a pivotal AFC Champions League game before swiftly turning their attention back to winning the A-League.

But Corica is annoyed that much of the focus is instead on the club's decision to move their April 18 top-of-the-table A-League clash with Perth Glory to Kogarah.

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Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat labelled the SCG pitch "unsafe" after star midfielder Terry Antonis was injured in last Saturday's 2-1 loss to Sydney FC.

Replays showed Antonis appearing to collapse on a re-laid square in the middle of the ground, which isn't coping with the increased traffic caused by the demolition of neighbouring Allianz Stadium and the necessity to play four football codes at the iconic venue.

Corica agrees the surface isn't up to scratch, but has clearly had enough.

"The most important thing is the way our boys played. That's something that's been missing," he said in a thinly-veiled shot back at Muscat.

"We talk about the pitch but, at the end of the day, there were two teams on that pitch and we were the better team and we deserved to win. Our boys were sensational.

"There's been a lot of deflecting and everything's been about the pitch and not about the game."

Corica believes former Socceroos coach John Kosmina's call for the government to financially assist the SCG Trust in bringing the surface back up to expected standards has merit.

But that's not his immediate concern.

"It's not ideal to play on a cricket pitch but it is what it is," Corica said. "We want the best for our players and and the best pitches for our players to play on and that's here [at Jubilee Stadium] next Thursday against Perth and we moved the game for that reason.

"The pitch is good. It gives the quality of the players that we have the chance to excel."

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