- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
After a fine start to the season, Melbourne City have lost form and need a win against the struggling Perth Glory to reignite their campaign. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:50pm (AEDT).
Matches between City and Perth last season were among the most enthralling the A-League has dished up in years, contributing 22 goals across five encounters.
Glory will have fond memories of most of those contests, defeating City 3-2 at AAMI Park, before producing a great effort to draw 3-3 at the same venue weeks later in one of the games of the year.
The goals continued to pour in Perth, with the Glory securing a 5-4 victory that laid the platform for their most important victory of all – a 2-0 win at AAMI Park a week later, in the first week of the finals.
Overall, these two sides love to put on a show against each other and it wouldn’t surprise to see goals in a game both teams really need to win.
City are on a three-match winless streak, courtesy of defeats to Sydney and Brisbane and a draw against the Wanderers. During that period, they have only scored two goals, and desperately need the likes of Tim Cahill, Bruce Kamau and Ross McCormack to fire.
Howeve, coach Warren Joyce has been forced to deny issues with both McCormack and Cahill.
City’s star Scottish international, who has endured Achilles issues for months, missed last weekend’s 3-1 loss at Brisbane Roar. Joyce cited a troublesome tendon as the reason McCormack didn’t travel to Queensland, but reports this week said the 31-year-old was stood down after missing training.
On the Cahill front, the Socceroos great raised eyebrows last week for suggesting he might need to leave City if he didn’t get more game time, in order to prepare for the World Cup.
The coach has to start both tonight if the wishes to put to bed any reports of dysfunctional relationships in the dressing room.
As for Perth, injuries have not helped their cause in recent weeks, with Spanish star Diego Castro missing last week’s clash against Victory. Adam Taggart is also out injured.
Prediction
Castro tormented the Melburnians last season with man of the match performances. If he remains absent, the Glory may struggle to break down City away from home.
Mind you, contests between these two sides are eventful affairs and City will be asking for trouble if they fail to improve recent form.
City to win 3-2