Football often gives rise to compelling sub-narratives on and off the pitch, and one of the more intriguing tales of the season will take place at Olympic Village on Tuesday Night.
While most eyes will be on Heidelberg’s star import Kostas Katsouranis, another match-up in the middle of the park will also bear great significance.
City marquee man Robert Koren will be pitted up against Heidelberg compatriot Nejc Kolman, with the Slovene pair the only two footballers from their tiny European nation to be plying their trade down under in a national football competition.
Kolman has been in standout form for the Bergers this season, making 21 league appearances and building a formidable partnership in midfield with Jack Petrie.
With preparations in full swing for the quarter-final clash between the clubs, the 26-year-old and his teammates know what the fixture means to the proud former NSL club.
“The atmosphere around the club is fantastic and we the players know all too well how much the game means to everyone associated with Heidelberg United,” Kolman said.
“We’ve been training for the clash for three weeks now and everyone at the club cannot wait for it.”
“Melbourne City are no doubt the favourites but we are ready and are going out to win with it being important to stay tight in the opening periods of the game and not giving too much away to them.”
For Kolman, the clash also offers the opportunity to come up against a national hero, whose career has been followed by the Slovenian public – Kolman included – for almost two decades.
He captained Slovenia at the 2010 World Cup – the national team’s second ever appearance at the highest level – a tournament Kolman recalls with fondness despite his nation’s group stage exit.
“He’s someone who many Slovenian footballers look up to,” he said.
“He started off in the Slovenian league and made it all the way to captaining Hull in the Premier League, where he also featured for West Bromwich Albion.”
“I remember the opening game against Algeria very well, where he scored the winning goal in a game the whole country watched as one.”
Kolman and Koren have crossed paths before without coming up against one another on the field, as their stints at Slovenian club Celje came a decade apart, while a friendly between their two respective clubs a six years ago didn’t see Koren feature.
However, it was to be Melbourne which proved to be the unlikely meeting point between the two, as they crossed paths with one another this year.
Little did they know that fate would see the two Slovenes meet on-the-field, with Tuesday’s game attracting interest back in their homeland.
“In 2009, my team Nafta Lendava entertained West Brom in a pre-season friendly on the Slovenia-Austria border, although Koren did not play due to injury,” he said.
“A few months back, my brother [South Melbourne youth coach Sasa Kolman] and I were introduced to Robi through a mutual Slovenian friend of ours here in Melbourne, and we were able to exchange pleasantries with him.”
“Goal.com Slovenia got in contact with me a few days ago and had a chat which saw a feature on myself published back home in preparation for the game.”
While Heidelberg’s FFA Cup opponents boast their own marquee midfielders in Koren and Socceroo Aaron Mooy, Kolman heaped high praise on the club’s own star acquisition, Greek international Kostas Katsouranis.
“From the first training session he’s had with us on Thursday night I am able to conclude that not only is he a good player, but also a good guy who is very professional with the way he goes about things,” he said.
“It’s a great privilege and honour to be playing with such a player who’s had such a distinguished career and I am grateful to the club and George Katsakis as they have provided me with the opportunity to play with him, from who we can learn a lot from.”
Despite the arrival of the Greek legend, Kolman will have eyes on only one player’s jersey post-game Tuesday night.
“I’ll get Koren’s shirt after the game when we’re celebrating our victory over our close neighbours,” he joked.