Victory Women play Perth Glory with all to play for

Melbourne Victory Women visit Perth Glory in Round 22 of the Ninja A-League on Friday, April 3, kick-off 7pm AEDT.

Jeff Hopkins and the Girls in Blue venture interstate on the final weekend of the 2025/26 regular season, facing an opponent they bettered 3-0 at The Home of The Matildas back in November.

Victory needs a repeat result to stake a claim for a top-six finish following last Saturday’s loss away to Sydney FC in the Big Blue.

The Glory, along with three points, requires a hefty goal-difference swing to gatecrash Finals, having suffered a heavy defeat away to Brisbane Roar most recently.

The Girls in Blue

Melbourne Victory, currently seventh on the ladder, are chasing a third away win of the campaign to keep their ambitions of competing in an eighth-straight Finals series alive.

They have to win on Friday evening in Western Australia, and then keep their fingers crossed that one of Brisbane Roar or Central Coast Mariners loses, or the latter fails to beat Sydney FC the following day.

Victory’s position among the permutations is a direct result of the Round 21 outcome in the Big Blue, where they could not build on Rachel Lowe’s opening goal to start the final weekend in control of their Finals destiny.

Instead, a Riley Tanner double consigned Jeff Hopkins’ team to a zero-point return at Leichhardt Oval, as the Girls in Blue suffered a first Big Blue loss in almost three years.

Victory will remain without Sienna Saveska and Zoe McMeeken, but are boosted by the return of Nicki Flannery, in line for her first minutes since mid-January’s hosting of Brisbane Roar.

Round 22 Squad: 1. Courtney NEWBON, 3. Claudia BUNGE, 4. Chelsea BLISSETT, 5. Sofia SAKALIS, 6. Taylor RAY, 7. Ella O’GRADY,  9. Holly FURPHY, 10. Rhianna POLLICINA, 11. Nicki FLANNERY, 16. Kennedy WHITE, 18. Kayla MORRISON,  23. Rachel LOWE, 24. Laura PICKETT, 27. Rosie CURTIS, 28. Sienna TECHERA, 30. Payton WOODWARD, 41. Jessica YOUNG, 66. Alana JANCEVSKI, 81. Grace MAHER

Ins: 11. Nicki FLANNERY (return from injury) 

Outs: 20. Leyla HUSSIEN 

Unavailable:  8. Sienna SAVESKA (injured), 17. Poppy O’Keeffe (national team selection), 19. Zoe MCMEEKEN (injured)

Gloryseekers

Eighth-place Perth Glory, after claiming one point from a possible nine available in March, are looking for a miracle if they are to make the Finals line-up for the first time since 2023

Not only do they need to overcome Melbourne Victory, for a sixth home maximum, but hope the reigning Champions Central Coast Mariners lose, and there is an improbable 10-goal swing between the two matches.

Nevertheless, Stephen Peters and co. will be chasing a first home win since Valentine’s Day at the Sam Kerr Football Centre. They did, though, a week on from this, impressively come from behind to beat Newcastle Jets 2-3 on the road.

More recently, when they let slip their chance to break into the top six, Glory lost 5-2 at Brisbane Roar, but top scorer Rola Badawiya was on the scoresheet for the fifth time this term.

Run it back

Melbourne Victory proved too strong on home soil for Perth Glory in Round 5 of the Ninja A-League.

A third win of the season was secured thanks to a first-half goal rush at The Home of The Matildas, kick-started by leading scorer Kennedy White.

The lead was then extended through Sofia Sakalis, and the points wrapped up before the break when Rhianna Pollicina struck to continue her fine early-season form.

Last time out

Melbourne Victory were unable to build on their lead, conceding in either half, as they suffered defeat to Sydney FC last weekend.

Rachel Lowe’s second goal of the season, a fierce shot into the top corner, had the away side in front after 23 minutes in New South Wales.

But Victory let slip this advantage before the break, and then fell behind following it, with Riley Tanner profiting on two similar defensive lapses to give the Sky Blues the Big Blue spoils.

A goal in either half was not enough for Perth Glory to avoid defeat to Brisbane Roar on Friday night.

In Queensland, Aimee Medwin and Momo Hayashi efforts had them behind, only for them to bite back through Julia Sardo’s header and Rola Badawiya’s cross, which found its way in.

The comeback could not, though, become a turnaround, and Kijah Stephenson put the Roar ahead again before Hayashi’s deflected free kick and Tameka Yallop’s strike off the bench firmly settled matters.