CHRISTIAN Petracca expects to start in the midfield against Geelong Cats at the MCG on Sunday, before pushing forward during Melbourne’s season-opener.

Speaking at the launch of Melbourne’s new partnership with luxury car brand, INFINITI, at the MCG on Monday, Petracca said he was eager to play both roles this year.

“I think you’ll see – not just us – but a lot of teams will have midfielders that’ll rest forward,” he told Melbourne Media.

“It’s probably better than resting on the bench and having more of an impact.

“I don’t want to lose the forward side to me – I feel like that’s a good trait that I have, so it’ll probably be 70/30 or 60/40 mid/forward.”

Petracca said the club was aware of the expectations building, but added that a host of teams were in a similar position.

“I think there is a lot of expectation on us, but I feel like every other team [has expectations],” he said.

“The goal is to play finals, but we’ve just got to take it one week at a time and this week we’ve got Geelong in round one, and we’ve very much looking forward to it.

“We’ve had four months of pre-season and we’ve been training quite hard. We’re just excited for round one and [playing] Geelong.”

Although many expect Petracca to rise again this year, he said he was not feeling the weight of expectations on his shoulders.

“No, not really, to be honest,” he said.

“I just like to go about my business, the way I do – just feeling relaxed and playing with a lot of confidence and energy.

“I feed off my teammates, and when we’re going, hopefully I’m full of confidence come round one.”

Petracca said he wasn’t just looking forward to Sunday – but the entire opening round when it starts on Thursday night at the ‘G, between Richmond and Carlton.   

“It’s very exciting. We’ve got Geelong on Sunday and we’re all looking forward to it, so we can’t wait – it’s going to be fun,” he said.

“Even Carlton versus Richmond – and just sitting down and having dinner and actually watching a game of footy will be awesome.”

“It’s an exciting time, and my family and friends are really excited for round one to kick off again.”

Meanwhile, Petracca said the partnership with INFINITI was another important day for the club.

“It’s very exciting that INFINITI has jumped on board. We had Zurich recently and it’s good the club is getting a bit of recognition now. It’s awesome to have INFINITI,” he said.