ROBERTO ‘Pico’ Lopes has played for both sides — so he knows just how big the Dublin Derby is.
The Cape Verde defender, 33, spent six years with Bohemians before making the short trip across town.
And now the Shamrock Rovers skipper is desperate to get one over on his old club, especially after suffering home-and-away defeats to them this season.
But Lopes also insists it is just one more game as the Hoops seek to increase their 11-point lead at the top of the Premier Division.
The rivals clash at Dalymount Park tonight and Lopes reckons he knows what is needed to get his men over the line.
He said: “It always has been since I started football — Bohs v Rovers, it’s probably the biggest game on the calendar.
“We can’t get caught up too much in the occasion, though.
“It’s an important game for us in terms of trying to build on this momentum and keep going and get the three points.
“But yeah, I suppose it’s the biggest game in Irish football for me.
“You have to take the madness out of it at times. It’s going to be there. It’s going to be 100 miles an hour at times.
“But you need to be able to take a breath and put your foot on the ball and show your quality.”
Rovers’ quality came to the fore again on Friday with Lopes scoring a crucial second against Cork City, powering home a Dylan Watts delivery in a 4-1 win.
The centre-half was hauled off at the break, with boss Stephen Bradley citing “a heavy load recently” for his captain.
That win meant the Hoops’ unbeaten run stretched to 11 games. Now they face the last team to beat them — when Rhys Brennan bagged a late, late winner in a crazy 3-2 game on the Easter weekend.
Lopes feels the group has grown since then and will be praying for a better outcome tonight.
He added: “I think we have gotten stronger as the league has gone on. The performances and results have shown that. But we can’t take our foot off the gas.
“If you start getting carried away yourself, that’s where you get pegged back. So, look, we’ve been good. We need to be better.
“Hopefully we’re on the right side of the result this time. Look, you can’t control what happens.
“We were disappointed to lose the game back here at Easter. That’s behind us. We moved on. And yeah, we’re just focused on trying to win the game.”
TURNING THE TIDE
Bohs beat Rovers 1-0 in the season opener at the Aviva before their dramatic victory in April.
But Lopes has been around long enough to know how valuable his experience, and that of his team-mates, will be in a cauldron-like atmosphere.
He said: “I probably sound like a broken record but I think form goes out the window in these games. I always say it. We know it’s going to be a tough game, especially going over there.
“We know how hostile it can be. So yeah, we just have to be prepared mentally going into that and play the game in front of us.
“But I think, yeah, my experience tells me that you have to be ready for the fight, ready for the battle, start games fast.
“There’s going to be times where you have to take the madness out of it and show our quality as well. Be brave on the ball. That’ll be key.”
