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Mar 16, 2023   |  6:26PM AET

Countdown to Kick-Off: Facing Canberra and the Coast

Countdown to Kick-Off: Facing Canberra and the Coast

A second week at home and a trip to Canberra is what lies ahead for Melbourne Victory’s Men and Women, as preparations begin to reach their pointy end, and the countdown to kick-off begins.

With a Derby win spurring on Victory’s Women, a clash with Canberra United could see another invaluable three points added to the tally. Redemption is the name of the game for the Club’s A-League Men, hosting the Central Coast Mariners at AAMI Park on Sunday evening.

BRUNO FORM-AROLI

Bruno Fornaroli has been showing signs that he may be back to his very best, scoring in four of the Victory’s past five home games.

His most recent strike, a perfectly placed free kick against Western United, gave those in attendance plenty of reasons to smile on a day where the three points narrowly escaped the navy blue.

The striker will be looking to continue building connections with his teammates, one of who was impressive during his 45 minute substitution cameo last time out.

REMAINING IN MELBOURNE

Victory will be looking to bounce back in front of their home fans as they stay in Melbourne for a second week, with the Club announcing that kids will be able to attend for free.

With six days between fixtures and no travel to prepare for, the squad have been able to organise themselves in the best way, while being in familiar surroundings.

Since joining the Club in the January transfer window, Connor Chapman has quickly impressed his new fans, and Victory’s new number 14 spoke to the media on Thursday afternoon, explaining how it feels to play at AAMI Park in front of the home fans.

“Playing in front of the best fans in the league, playing at AAMI Park with the ground that we have here, I think players do lift and at the end of the day we just need to lift above them (Central Coast),” Chapman said.

KNOCKING ON THE FINALS’ DOOR

Victory’s Women are full of confidence following Monday’s Derby win, downing crosstown rivals Melbourne City 2-0.

Gaining three points in the Derby, keeping a clean sheet and recording an impressive overall performance is exactly the fuel Victory required moving through to this tense part of the season.

Above, there are two points separating Melbourne City in third, and Victory in fourth – meaning another win this week could hold a table position change.

On the contrary, the buffer between nearest chaser, and this week’s opponent Canberra United, has been restored – with five points separating the two.