The two sides only had one game to their name when the first derby came around in round two but now, 11 rounds into the season, each side has a better understanding of what to expect.

Ballarat SC has picked up seven points in their last five matches, but the fourth-placed side comes into the match-up off the back of two goalless losses to top sides Lara United and Spring Hills FC.

The results have seen Ballarat SC fall two points behind Spring Hills in the standings, but a win over rivals Ballarat City FC on Sunday could see them jump back into the top three.

City FC also heads into Sunday's match-up after two losses, with the seventh-placed side only picking up four points across its last five games.

Similar one-goal losses to Port Melbourne and Altona City, where City FC conceded the match-winning goals in the dying stages, has left City FC in a battle for sixth with Maribyrnong as the rest of the competition breaks away.

It was Ballarat SC which claimed three points in round two's derby, with Ballarat SC recording a 5-nil victory.

Despite the lop-sided result, both coaches admitted the match-up was a lot closer than the final score alluded to, with Ballarat SC's Tayte Fraser turning a 1-nil margin into a 5-nil win in a matter of minutes.

After a tough stretch, if Ballarat SC can replicate a result like that on Sunday, they will be back in the mix for promotion with a relatively easier run home to end the season.

Match-ups against sixth-placed Maribyrnong and fifth-placed Hoppers Crossing follow the derby for City FC, providing the seventh-placed side with the opportunity for some season-changing six-point swings.

Ballarat SC hosts Ballarat City FC at Trekardo Park at 1pm on Sunday in the second Ballarat Derby in State League 2 North-West.