Match details
Western United v Melbourne Victory
City Vista Recreation Reserve Saturday, November 19, 2022
Kick-off: 3:00pm AEST
Broadcast: 10Play, Paramount+
Preview
Melbourne Victory will begin their quest for a third straight title-winning season when they commence their A-League Women’s campaign against Western United this weekend.
The clash sees Western play their first ever A-League Women’s game and they could hardly have asked for a tougher start than taking on the reigning back-to-back Champions.
Victory stormed to the Championship last campaign with a remarkable run at the end of the season, securing wins against Adelaide United, Melbourne City and Sydney FC in the finals having barely scraped inside the top four.
Jeff Hopkins’ side were dealt a difficult hand by the many Covid-enforced interruptions, enduring an extremely congested fixture list which tested every aspect of the squad’s depth and character.
Ultimately, Victory proved their class yet again by peaking at the right time of the season.
However, they will no doubt be intent on playing out a more straightforward campaign this time around with the potential to compete for the crown of Premiers as well.
Victory have recruited smartly during the offseason, bringing in the likes of Elise Kellond-Knight, Beattie Goad, Gema Simon and Jessika Nash, all of whom have played for the Matildas.
Natalie Tathem adds further depth in defence, whilst Miranda Templeman is a highly promising young goalkeeper ready to fill the shoes of Casey Dumont should the opportunity arise.
Add in the retention of several key players who have been instrumental to the club’s success in recent seasons, such as Alex Chidiac, Claudia Bunge, Catherine Zimmerman and Melina Ayres, plus the return of influential captain Kayla Morrison from injury, and it is easy to see why many are tipping Victory to take their game to another level this time around.
Western present a unique challenge in their first season in the league, opting for a squad containing many players with little to no experience in the national competition, albeit supported by some real star power in the form of Chloe Logarzo.
Every game this season comes with the added importance of being part of the final season prior to next year’s home World Cup, with several players across the league competing for spots in the Matildas squad.
All factors point towards this weekend’s clash being a must-watch for all Australian football fans.
Player in focus
Elise Kellond-Knight stands out amongst Victory’s arrivals as the player with the CV and reputation to match anyone’s in the Liberty A-League.
The classy midfielder has played for the Matildas more than 100 times and will be hoping to play in her fourth World Cup in 2023.
After enduring several difficult years due to injury, seeing Kellond-Knight back on the pitch on a consistent basis will make for a heartwarming story in and of itself, without even considering her potential to run the show for Victory in the middle of the park alongside Alex Chidiac.
Last time
N/A
Head to head
N/A
Squad
1.Casey DUMONT, 2.Tiffany ELIADIS, 3.Claudia BUNGE, 5.Jessika NASH, 6.Beattie GOAD, 7.Gema SIMON, 8.Alana MURPHY, 9.Catherine ZIMMERMAN, 10.Alex CHIDIAC, 11.Natalie TATHEM, 14.Melina AYRES, 15.Amy JACKSON, 16.Paige ZOIS, 18.Kayla MORRISON, 19.Lia PRIVITELLI, 20.Miranda TEMPLEMAN, 21.Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT, 22.Ava BRIEDIS, 24.Anna LIACOPOULOS, 27.Rosie CURTIS
Unavailable: 17.Maja MARKOVSKI (injured)
