Arthur Diles will have Melbourne Victory ready for a fixture that carries extra significance for all involved.
Sydney FC, second on the ladder, are the visitors to AAMI Park in Round 14 of the Isuzu UTE A-League on Monday, January 26, kick-off 5:40pm AEDT.
Their visit to Victoria resumes Big Blue hostilities for the second time this season, after the two sides met at Leichhardt Oval in November, when the hosts scored thrice on their way to all three points.
Therefore, the Head Coach is acutely aware that the prospect of reclaiming bragging rights, in front of Victory’s home faithful, is of great importance to everyone connected with the Club.
Speaking during his pre-match press conference, Diles contextualised the fixture’s magnitude and analysed the matchup.
“There’s no way to look at this match and think it’s just another match, because it’s not, history will tell you that. Also, you look at where they are on the table. They’re a team that’s been up there all year. They’ve been doing some good stuff, and it’s about us making sure we turn up on Monday, and we’ve done everything we can in preparation to give us the best chance to win.
“We’ve got to play our football at the tempo we want to play, first and foremost, with the aggressiveness that we have in our game. And when we do that, we know that whoever’s in front of us is going to be in for a difficult night or day.”
Diles’ selection options are boosted by the return of Joshua Rawlins and Jordi Valadon. The pair were part of the Australia team that reached the quarter-finals of the U23 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia this month.
And their returns to Melbourne coincide with positive news on the injury front going into January’s final match day.
“Jack (Duncan) should be right. I think he’s passed every test that needs to be done. Roddy’s (Miranda) touch and go. The rest are all fit and available for selection.
“Davo (Jason Davidson) is back for selection as well – he was just a suspension – but everyone else is fit and healthy, which is great. A lot of bodies now, which is probably the first time this year we’ve had this situation, which is fantastic. It’s a headache, but it’s a lovely headache.”
Watch Diles’ full press conference below.
