Melbourne Victory’s VPL1 team face another tough test in their upcoming fixture, as they take on Eastern Lions at JL Murphy Reserve on Monday night.
Victory are aiming to return to the winners’ list after last week’s 1-1 draw with Bentleigh Greens, highlighted by Eli Adams’ sensational strike to equalise in the second half.
Joe Palatsides’ team head into Round 4 of the VPL1 season sitting equal top of the table, having taken seven points from their first three games.
Eastern Lions have conversely made a sluggish start to their 2024 campaign, taking two points from their first three outings.
However, the team relegated from the top flight two seasons ago should hardly be taken lightly, having narrowly missed out on promotion last time around.
Victory though have plenty to be optimistic about, despite dropping their first points of the season in their most recent match.
Whilst Adams’ strike took most of the headlines, Victory’s first half performance was perhaps their best of the season in terms of number and quality of chances created.
Only a clinical finish or two were missing, as Palatsides’ team continued to perform at a high level.
Kayne Razmovski had one of his best games in the Victory midfield, whilst the defensive pairing of Josh Inserra and Matt Bozinovski looked rock-solid for the majority of the night.
Nonetheless, an improved result against Eastern Lions will go a long way to validating Victory’s strong performances.
A win for Victory will see them keep pace with their rivals at the top of the VPL1 table early in the season.
Kick-off is at 8:30pm AEDT.
