Unreal goalkeeping, promotion winning goals and an AFC Cup win: Australians around the globe team of the week
Cameron Burgess scored the winner to confirm Ipswich’s status as a Premier League club.
Melbourne Victory will be looking for their fourth win in five matches when they host Perth Glory at AAMI Park tonight. We’ll have live scores from 7.30 pm AEDT.
Perth’s 1-1 draw at home to Wellington Phoenix was certainly an improvement on their 1-0 loss to Western Sydney the week earlier, but something still isn’t clicking in the west.
They’ve won only once in their past five and are struggling to hit the net on a regular basis, though the timely return of Shane Smeltz should at least partially rectify the problem.
Things couldn’t be going better at the Victory, with 13 points from a possible 15 lifting Ange Postecoglou’s side into third place on the A-League table.
Recent form will be somewhat negated in this one, with both sides missing key players selected for Socceroos duty.
Archie Thompson and Mark Milligan will both miss for the home side, while the Glory will be without Scott Jamieson and Michael Thwaite and will also be without the services of suspended captain Jacob Burns.
Perth’s recent form dip has coincided with the absence of Burns due to injury and their loss is compounded by the return of Victory playmaker Marcos Flores, who returns from his own one-match ban.
If Perth is to improve its abysmal away record – they’ve managed only one point away from nib Stadium this season – they must find a way to overcome the loss of Burns.
But if Ian Ferguson is unable to plug the gap expect the likes of Flores and Marco Rojas to run riot in the attacking third, which will most likely lead to the home side collecting all three points.