Perth Glory will attempt to fight fire with fire when they host Melbourne Victory in Wednesday night’s FFA Cup quarterfinal showdown at nib Stadium.
The table-topping Victory are riding a wave of confidence following their 5-2 demolition of Melbourne City, with flamboyant striker Besart Berisha registering a hat-trick in that match.
Perth stumbled in their most recent outing – a 2-0 away loss to Adelaide.
But their form before that was strong, with striker Andy Keogh netting a total of four goals in wins against Wellington and Brisbane.
In the form of Berisha, Archie Thompson, Carl Valeri, Kosta Barbarouses and Gui Finkler, Victory possess one of the most lethal attacking units in the league.
But Perth, boasting the likes of Keogh, Jamie Maclaren, Youssouf Hersi and Mitch Nichols, aren’t one to shy away from a shootout.
Although the mid-week FFA Cup clash makes for a hectic schedule for Glory and Victory, both sides are keen to field near full-strength line-ups.
“From our perspective certainly it would be nice to win the inaugural FFA Cup,” Victory coach Kevin Muscat said.
“There are other teams that have the same mindset. We are taking it seriously, and I dare say you will see that on Wednesday night at kick-off.
“Glory have got cutting edge up front and look like they can score goals. They’ve made their intentions quite clear that they want to make the semi-finals as well.”
Muscat said bench players Leigh Broxham and Fahid Ben Khalfallah were in the reckoning to earn starting berths, with Scott Galloway a chance to be rested.
“Two games in five days – whether a fresh Broxy is better than one of the midfielders, that decision will be made closer to the kick-off,” Muscat said.
After Wednesday’s game, Perth will be back in action on Saturday night when they host the Jets, while Victory have a five-day break before playing Wellington in Melbourne.
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