Match Details:
Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC
Date: Saturday 16 December
Time: Kick-off: 7:45pm (AEDT)
Location: AAMI Park, Melbourne
PREVIEW
Our boys in blue will be looking to keep their undefeated start to the season alive as the old enemy returns to Melbourne for our second meeting in 2023/24.
A Bruno Fornaroli masterclass last weekend saw Victory end their run of fours draws in a row with a win over Western Sydney in Parramatta.
Tony Popovic’s side now sit fourth on the A-League Men’s table and will no doubt be looking to climb even higher.
It was a night to remember last time out against Sydney after goals from Fornaroli and Machach sunk the Sky Blues at Allianz Stadium to open the 2023/24 season.
Since then Ufuk Talay’s side has only won twice and lost another four times to sit 10th on the table.
History is not on Victory’s side Saturday night with the team’s last win over Sydney at home coming all the way back in 2019.
Looking ahead to Saturday night, Tony Popovic said his team won’t be taking the match lightly.
“They’re a big club. It’s a big opponent for us,” he said.
“And, you know, they’ve obviously got a new coach at the moment. They’re adapting to a new way of work and training, playing in a way that the new coach wants.
“They’re a very dangerous opponent.
“We expect everything you get from this big rivalry. A tough, difficult game against a tough, difficult opponent.
“But you know, we’re at home, we’re delighted to be back after over a month of being away.
“We want to consolidate the last month with a top performance and a win here at home because we view this as an opportunity to keep growing and keep getting the points on the board.”
FROM THE BOSS
FROM BRUNO
LAST TIME
Sydney FC 0-2 Melbourne Victory
October 21, 2023
Allianz Stadium, Sydney
HEAD TO HEAD
2022/23 (Mar 4): Sydney FC 1-0 Melbourne Victory
2022/23 (Jan 26): Melbourne Victory 1-2 Sydney FC
2022/23 (Oct 8) Sydney FC 2-3 Melbourne Victory
SQUAD
2.Jason GERIA, 3.Adama TRAORE, 4.Rai MARCHAN, 5.Damien DA SILVA, 6.Leigh BROXHAM 7.Chris IKONOMIDIS, 8.Zinedine MACHACH, 10.Bruno FORNAROLI, 11.Ben FOLAMI, 14.Connor CHAPMAN, 16.Stefan NIGRO, 17.Nishan VELUPILLAY, 18.Fabian MONGE, 19.Daniel ARZANI, 20.Paul IZZO, 21.Roderick MIRANDA, 22.Jake BRIMMER, 24.Eli ADAMS, 25.Ryan TEAGUE, 28.Franco LINO, 40.Christian SICILIANO
In’s: 4.Rai MARCHAN, 6.Leigh BROXHAM
Out’s: nil
