Victory, FC grudge match comes with extra grudge

 

By , 19 Dec 2009 Adam Cooper is a Roar Pro

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It’s Melbourne versus Sydney, with extra grudge. Saturday night’s clash of the two A-League powerhouses at Etihad Stadium will go a long way towards determining the minor premiership, as the Victory (34 points) lead the second-placed Sydney FC (31) by three points.

If that’s not enough incentive for the keen rivals, add the chase for redemption and a major milestone and it’s little wonder this clash looms as the biggest of the season, and a possible grand final preview.

Victory skipper Kevin Muscat, who will become only the second player after Alex Tobin to play 500 Australian league games, said Melbourne were relishing the chance to stake a major hold on the minor premiership in their bid to become the first side to win back-to-back A-League titles.

“It’s first against second and we’ve probably been the fiercest rivals since day one, they’ve got themselves in a decent position this year,” Muscat said.

“Our motivation and goal at the start of the season was to be the first team to have a crack at going back-to-back.

“We find ourselves in a position where we’re able to give that a tilt now.

“This weekend comes at a perfect time for us, because we can go six points clear and give the rest of the league a massive indication that we’re serious about winning the flag.”

The Victory are also out to avenge the 3-0 drubbing they suffered at the hands of Sydney in October, also at Etihad Stadium.

Sydney skipper Steve Corica said that round-10 win gave his side plenty of confidence on its return trip, and that the atmosphere inside the stadium would only add to the game.

“We know when we’re going down to Melbourne there’s going to be a massive crowd, 30-odd thousand or whatever,” he said.

“It’s the biggest crowd we play in front of this season in the A-League and all the boys look forward to it.

“It’s a massive game and obviously a very important one.

“We need to pick up some points in Melbourne otherwise they’ll go six points in front of us.

“Massive game on our behalf and obviously away from home as well makes it that little bit more difficult.

“We got a result last time we were down there, I’m sure they remember that and hopefully we can put on the same kind of performance and get the three points.”

The Victory enter the game unbeaten in their past four games, while Sydney have bounced back with back-to-back wins after three defeats in rounds 13-15.

© AAP 2012
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