Melbourne Victory are raring to go for another crunch Isuzu UTE A-League clash, says Head Coach, Arthur Diles.
The Boys in Blue could not have asked for better preparations for taking on Adelaide United after bettering their local rivals, Melbourne City.
Victory were terrific in Round 18’s Melbourne Derby, and the 1-3 scoreline somewhat flattered the opposition, who they have now recorded successive wins over.
Now it is state pride up for grabs when Adelaide arrive at AAMI Park from South Australia on Friday, February 27, kick-off 7:35pm AEDT.
Speaking during his pre-match press conference, Diles wants a determination from his players to back that up and make amends for January’s tight loss away to the Reds.
“It’s always nice when you win any game, especially if it’s a derby. We’re at the business end of the season, and every game is massive for us. We put that to bed now, and we look forward to another huge game tomorrow night.
“That was a long time ago now in football. I still remember that was a great performance from us and, unfortunately, not the result we wanted.
“They’ve had some very good results, and they’ve got a good group of players. They’re up there for a reason. We want to be above them, and tomorrow night’s that opportunity to rise above them.”
Diles also confirmed that Reno Piscopo is in the frame for selection following his brief injury absence, and that Brendan Hamill is ever closer to featuring after getting minutes in a friendly fixture earlier this week.
“Reno (Piscopo)’s back from injury. Brendan Hamill came away unscathed, and now he’s ready for selection as well. It’s all hands on deck now, and we’ve got to use that to our advantage.”
Watch Diles’ full press conference below.
