Western United star Aaron Calver says Ballarat fans can expect a team with an unbeatable mentality and attacking weapons that can hurt any opponent in the A-League.
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Calver scored his maiden goal for the club with a stunning header last Friday night to grab a draw against Western Sydney Wanderers and can't wait for the clash at Mars Stadium this weekend.
The United side will take on Wellington Phoenix on Saturday evening.
"Our region includes Geelong and Ballarat. Ballarat is a big breeding ground for talent and they love their football there. We're ready to show them what we can do," Calver said.
"We're a team that's very hard to break down. But also we have players like Diamanti, Kone and Berisha that can just turn a game in a moment.
"We're very exciting but also very disciplined. And this will be another game to show our quality. Can't wait to get back to Ballarat."
Ballarat is a big breeding ground for talent and they love their football there.
- Aaron Calver
Calver and the United boys played a couple of practice matches in Ballarat in the lead-up to the club's inaugural A-League season and sit nicely poised in third spot on the table after 11 matches.
Friday night's 1-1 draw with the Western Sydney Wanderers has United unbeaten in its last three games and Calver said the mood was "very positive" within the group.
"No matter what happens, if we go behind we know we'll always come back. The last three games have shown we're definitely contenders," the former Sydney FC player said.
The clash with the Phoenix will be a tough one for United, with the New Zealand-based side unbeaten since November 10 and coming off a 2-2 draw with Sydney FC on Saturday.
The Phoenix outfit is sixth on the table and Calver is expecting a difficult battle in Ballarat.
"They're very tough," he said.
"They've got some pretty good players and a 2-2 draw against Sydney FC shows you how far they've come since we played them in round one (beating them 1-0).
"We'll concentrate on our game but no doubt they've really hit their straps of late under Ufuk Talay their coach.
"He (Talay) is quite relaxed like (Sydney FC coach) Steve Corica. He's very smart and (has) a style of play that is good to watch."
Calver is more accustomed to playing in defence for United, but was thrilled to score his first goal for the club in the battle with the Wanderers.
Trailing 1-0, the 23-year-old netted a header in the 87th minute to help his side take a share of the points.
"The move started deep in our half. And I knew Painy (Connor Pain) puts in really good crosses. And he did," Calver said.
"He put in an absolute beauty and I got my head onto it. You're always taught to head the ball back across the goal and that's what I did.
"It was special scoring in front of our travelling fans, too. Many from the Western Service Crew had travelled so to send them home with at least a point was very satisfying."
Excitement is building in Ballarat for Saturday night's clash, which will kick-off at 5pm. Early forecasts show it could be a hot one, with the top temperature set to reach 37 degrees.
Western United was last in the city during September for the second of its two practice games at Morshead Park. There it lost to Sydney FC, which came after a scoreless draw with Adelaide United a week earlier.
The club has a total of four home and away fixtures planned in Ballarat this season.
More information on this weekend's historic Ballarat match can be found at wufc.com.au.
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