Fresh off a Derby win and an international break, Melbourne Victory’s Men and Women return to AAMI Park to take on Adelaide United in Sunday’s Pride Cup, an Original Rivalry Double Header.
Victory’s Men will get the action underway from 3:00pm, before Havana Brown entertains AAMI Park in the lead up to the Women taking centre stage, kicking off at 5:55pm.
PRIDE KITS AT THE READY
Both Victory’s Men and Women will sport brand new Pride Kits for the first time on Sunday.
The predominantly black kit features all 11 colours of the Progress Pride Flag.
Victory forward Ben Folami wore the new jersey for the first time on Tuesday, explaining: “It’s really nice, I saw it a couple of weeks ago for the first time. To be able to put it on now is really nice, so I’m looking forward to wearing it on Sunday.”
ORIGINAL RIVALRY, PRIDE CUP
One of the most anticipated fixtures on the Victory calendar, the Original Rivalry is always guaranteed to be hotly contested and fiery, with the longstanding history that exists between the two sides.
Both Clubs will be playing for an added cause this week – that of LGBTI+ inclusion in sport, with Sunday’s clash with Adelaide doubling as the A-Leagues Pride Cup.
Regaining the upper hand on the Reds will be a focus this week, with redemption for this season’s previous two meetings a requirement.
DERBY WIN MOTIVATION
Last week’s Melbourne Derby win has been a major boost for Victory’s Men.
A classy AAMI Park debut by Damien Da Silva and impressive first appearances in a Victory shirt at home for Connor Chapman, Bruce Kamau and Fernando Romero has lead the team into another solid week of training.
The three goals came from three different names, another promising sign leading into Sunday.
INTERNATIONAL BREAK OVER, BACK IN ACTION
Victory’s Women have had a week off between fixtures, with the international break allowing for added recovery and rest before the busy lead into Finals.
A 1-1 draw with Brisbane last time out means Victory hold onto a 5 point gap from Canberra United, who sit in fifth spot.
Saturday’s clash with the Roar will be the first time these two have met this season, and presents Melbourne with the chance to go further ahead.
SQUAD BOOSTS
Fresh off of international duty with New Zealand and the Matildas, Claudia Bunge and Elise Kellond-Knight will return to Melbourne in time to be included in the extended squad for Sunday’s clash with Adelaide.
Another boost this week will see Melina Ayres remain in the extended squad as she continues to return to full fitness.
The striker has a 94% win rate in the A-League Women’s competition when she scores a goal on the day, winning 15 and losing just one.
Sunday’s game at AAMI Park will be the first of five remaining games before finals, with 15 points available over the fixtures.
