CARSON, Calif. -- Giovani dos Santos and Steven Gerrard have had success against some of the LA Galaxy's fiercest rivals, but now they'll have to take on an opponent and a rival crowd when the Galaxy travel to San Jose to face the San Jose Earthquakes in the California Clásico on Friday​.
Road rivalry games are nothing new for the two players as each have had their share of rivalry matches whether it's Gerrard's Liverpool FC facing Everton or Dos Santos and FC Barcelona taking on Real Madrid. Despite their experience in some of the greatest soccer rivalries in the world, both expect a tough test at Avaya Stadium.
"I’ve played away in many derby games and you expect it to be fierce, competitive. All the supporters are going to be against us, but I think this is a good test for the team," Gerrard told reporters on Thursday. "This separates the boys from the men, we’ve got to be prepared to fight, get hit and do the dirty work and stick together. It’s not going to be a comfortable 90 minutes, there’s going to be times when we have to stick together and hold on. We’ve got to expect that. If we’re prepared to do it I’m sure we can get the result we want."
Added Dos Santos, "It's going to be a difficult game. They are in a good way as well after winning their last three games. They're a very tough team but we have to concentrate and do as we've done in our last games."
Although Dos Santos expects a tough game from the Earthquakes, when told of the harsh reception that he's sure to receive from the stands at Avaya Stadium, Dos Santos simply smiled.
"It's going to be fun," said Dos Santos. "We're going to have fun there. It's great to play these games."
