The second Melbourne derby is upon us. Come tonight, AAMI Park, the two Melbourne rivals will be battling it out to stake ownership rights over the city’s football landscape.
Following Heart’s 2-1 opening derby win, Victory will be out for redemption; expect to see an ambitious Kevin Muscat leading his troops out to win the three points.
Both Melbourne clubs have been struggling to gain an abundance of points over the past month, with neither cementing a victory. Heart has only managed one point out of a possible 18 in its past six matches, losing their most recent fixture to Newcastle Jets 2-0 at AAMI Park on Wednesday night, even though the Jets were reduced to 10 men early in the game.
The new Melbourne outfit has not scored a goal in their last seven and a half hours of football.
The derby proves to be a pivotal encounter in this mid-table clash.
In a fixture represents an extraordinary amount of passion, a victory will be vital for both teams in order to stay in contention with the top six.
Derby meetings are always a special date on the football calendar. For the fans, table positions are irrelevant. When supporters reminisce about the season gone by, the rival encounters always spring to mind. The sense of pride and superiority over their local rivals should never be undermined for a football supporter.
Amid the Melbourne derby being a new tradition in our football landscape (for the A-League), the atmosphere will be electric and the tension will be high. The A-League requires some positive publicity; let’s hope the Melbourne derby can reap the benefits of what football can bring towards the Australian sporting culture.
Kevin Muscat echoed these sentiments before the inaugural Melbourne derby, feeling that a derby game is something special and cannot be compared to an ordinary league fixture.
”I will probably go against what most other players will say, that it’s just another game … [but] I don’t think it is. Try to say that [it’s just another game] to our fans and our supporters,” Muscat said.
Make no mistake; in addition to the fans this isn’t just another game for the Heart or the Victory players.
Heart is enduring a tired and apprehensive squad from Wednesday’s night clash. With a drop in form and injuries, the derby couldn’t come at a worse time for the club. It is renowned that table positions and form can be irrelevant when the derby encounters are on display.
However, the fans and club surely wouldn’t find this situation timely.
Heart coach John van’t Schip welcomes back influential forward John Alosi and midfielder Wayne Srhoj, who has been an important piece to the Heart midfield.
The squad will likely welcome back Josip Skoko, who trained well on Thursday and will be expected to be fit for the game. Victory will be thanking their lucky stars that Alex Terra will still be unavailable for the derby. The last derby encounter saw Terra play an influential role in their triumph, scoring the winner to break the Victory’s hearts.
Defender Michael Marrone is another who has been struggling with injury and is in doubt for the game.
With the return of Archie Thompson following a knee reconstruction in March, it is evident that Australian marquee man is starting to hit some form. Thompson has scored two goals from his past two appearances and is beginning to replicate the form that has seen him feared by A-League clubs in seasons gone by.
The Victory has looked much more potent and dangerous in their attacking third since Thompson’s arrival, scoring seven goals in their past three matches. Thompson’s combination play with Robbie Kruse is gathering momentum and with Hernandez starting to congregate his match winning form, signs are looking on the up for the two time champions.
Kemp made his return from a long injury layoff last week against the Brisbane Roar. Although scoring an own-goal and lacking match fitness, he played out the 90 minutes and looked dangerous along the flanks. He will certainly play a vital role in Victory’s ordeal to redemption.
Merrick is optimistic surrounding the Victory’s attacking options, stating that the inter-passing game Victory loves to play will hopefully result into three points.
“To have Carlos [Hernandez] up front with Archie Thompson and Robbie Kruse now is a big plus for us, it’s getting better. Marvin Angulo is playing some terrific football, he’s learning his positional play and really getting the hang of how we play,” Merrick said.
With the Heart’s 4-3-3 philosophy, Victory coach Ernie Merrick is well aware of the vulnerability in the Victory backline. He prefers a back four combination to combat Heart’s attack, instead of the usual back three of Muscat, Leijer and Vargas.
With the return of central defender Adrian Leijer from suspension, Merrick has stated that one of the central stoppers will be dropped. Speculation is erupting that Roddy Vargas will make way.
He did not train with the first team on Thursday, wearing an orange bib with the 2nd XI squad. Assuming Vargas is dropped to make way for the two full-backs (Matthew Kemp and Surat Sukha). It would be the first time in his 114 A-League game career this has occurred.
“I have two full-backs that are back and fit and ready to go. I am going with a game plan that suits us against this type of formation and it might mean that one of the centre-backs has a rest,” Merrick said.
Leigh Broxham won’t be available for the derby due to a calf injury sustained during the Brisbane Roar game last weekend; he is expected to be sidelined for two weeks. Brazilian marquee man Ricardinho has only commenced training although is still not expected to be ready until after the Christmas period.
In contrast to the last derby encounter, Victory’s squad will be strengthened remarkably. Key inclusions include Matthew Kemp, Grant Brebner, Archie Thompson and Marvin Angulo.
These additions will give Victory the upmost confidence in restoring order with their local rival. Meantime, Captain Simon Colosimo will regain his position in the centre of Heart’s defence, after missing the opening derby due to a neck injury.
With Heart’s lacklustre goal-scoring ability and inept form, injury concerns and tired legs it’s hard to picture the new boys triumph again in the second Melbourne derby. Victory, amid leaking goals is looking to be a formidable force towards the second half of the season.
The return of significant players – Thompson and Kemp – are looking to re-energize the revolutionised outfit.
Victory has the ability to pile on pressure in the final third and hit the back of the net; the only issue has been their incompetent backline. With a re-shuffle to a 4-4-2 (4-3-1-2) formation, it should assist Victory to contest with Heart’s width and attacking runs from the wings.
As we witnessed in the inaugural derby, the underdog tag can work in the Heart’s favour. They played a brilliant game, embraced the atmosphere and delivered on the night.
However, with the re-shuffle to the Victory backline, key players returning and a strong ambition for revenge after the hurt imposed on the club and fans, it’s difficult to see Victory going down for a second consecutive derby.
Nevertheless, the second Melbourne derby will be a fascinating contest. An uproar of passion will be exemplified on the pitch, while a vibrant environment will be split with the pride of Melbourne on the line.
Version two of the Melbourne derby has arrived, strap yourselves in for an enthralling contest.
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