Melbourne Victory’s Men and Women are both on the road this weekend. Here are the points to take note of.
Victory Men make the trip to Wellington for the first time this year while Victory Women head to the capital to take on Canberra United.
A Top-Of-The-Table Clash
Tony Popovic’s side will face their biggest challenge so far this season in what is set to be a blockbuster matchup against league leaders Wellington Phoenix.
It was a dramatic 1-1 draw last time out against the Nix for our boys in blue, with Olyroo Ryan Teague finding the back of the net for the first time in Melbourne.
Since the last meeting, Wellington has only lost two of their last eight games while Victory is still yet to lose so far this season.
Sky Stadium has become a fortress for the Nix this season, with Wellington undefeated in six matches there, only having lost one all season and winning the other five.
Match Details:
Wellington Phoenix
Date: Fri 19 January
Time: 5pm (AEDT)
Location: Sky Stadium, Wellington
Broadcast: Paramount+
Key Midfield Battle
Trending In The Right Direction
Melbourne Victory Women broke a streak of three losses in a row last weekend after a 1-1 draw against an in-form Perth Glory side.
Rachel Lowe continues to shine in Victory colours after scoring her sixth goal of the season so far, putting herself in equal third on the Liberty A-League Golden Boot tally.
Matildas forward Emily Gielnik made her long-awaited return to action over the weekend after suffering a calf injury back in Round 4.
“She’s been raring to get back,” Head Coach Jeff Hopkins said.
“We’ve been holding her back a little bit… she’s only got one speed and that’s 100{d37f3b5c0f45ab6344599bea986db5dbb532ffb1a96783d731021207b3d302e4} flat out.
“We had to make sure that when we brought her on she had enough of a base to make sure that she didn’t re-injure herself.
“Really pleased for her, she’s worked so hard. Well done to our medical team as well.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s clash, our girls in blue will look for a repeat of last time out against Canberra after goals from Okino and Weinert secured a much-needed three points.
Since then, Canberra has only lost one match and is coming off an emphatic 3-1 win over Adelaide United.
Match Details:
Canberra United v Melbourne Victory
Date: Saturday 20 January
Time: 5pm (AEDT)
Location: McKellar Park, Canberra
Broadcast: 10play & Paramount+
