Melbourne Victory Men host the league-leading Auckland FC in our AAMI Park doubleheader on Saturday, April 19.
Returning from New Zealand after a thrilling 3-2 win over Wellington Phoenix, Victory prepares to face their rivals back on home soil.
Drawing 0-0 in Auckland with the newcomers in the first-ever meeting between the two sides, winning will be a top priority for Victory.
Melbourne Victory
Playing out two consecutive goal-filled wins amid a dramatic race to book a spot in the Isuzu Ute A-League Finals, Victory have been rewarded for their performances.
Sitting six points clear of seventh-placed Adelaide United, while only four points behind second-placed Melbourne City; Victory will now see how high they can finish in the top six for a Finals advantage.
Falling short in the later stages of games earlier this season, the Vuck’s win in Wellington was an important moment for the side.
Leading 3-1 soon after the half-time break, Victory managed to hold out the home side and come away with all three points in a tough away fixture.
Nishan Velupillay was a standout in his 100th A-League match, scoring in a sixth-consecutive game while providing an excellent assist from a corner delivery.
Provided his first start in over a month, Nikos Vergos continued his goal-scoring form with an outrageous solo effort; finding the back of the net for the 10th time this season in all competitions.
Taking on the current league leaders, Victory will be confident that they can continue their hot form against a top team this Saturday at AAMI Park.
Round 27 Squad
Melbourne Victory FC Squad: 1. Mitch LANGERAK, 3. Adama TRAORE, 4. Lachlan JACKSON, 5. Brendan HAMILL, 6. Ryan TEAGUE, 7. Daniel ARZANI, 8. Zinedine MACHACH, 9. Nikolaos VERGOS, 10. Bruno FORNAROLI, 14. Jordi VALADON, 16. Joshua INSERRA, 17. Nishan VELUPILLAY, 18. Fabian MONGE, 19. Jing REEC, 21. Roderick MIRANDA, 22. Joshua RAWLINS, 23. Alexander BADOLATO, 25. Jack DUNCAN, 26. Luka KOLIC, 28. Kasey BOS
Ins: 3. Adama TRAORE (promoted), 19. Jing REEC (promoted), 26. Luka KOLIC (promoted)
Outs: 27. Reno PISCOPO (injured)
Unavailable: Nil
Auckland FC
Consistently sat on top of the league for the majority of the season, Auckland FC’s debut campaign in the A-League has been quite flawless.
Led by former Sydney FC coach Steve Corica, the newcomers have exceeded expectations for many as they lead the race for the Premiership.
Defensive solidity has been a benchmark for the Black Knights, conceding the second-fewest goals in the league and keeping the tied-most clean sheets alongside Melbourne City.
However, Auckland’s form has come into question recently as their lead over the remaining pack has been significantly reduced to just four points with three games left of action.
Since March, Auckland have registered just a single win while drawing their remaining five games.
Captain and Japanese star Hiroki Sakai has been a particularly key figure in defence for the Black Knights, with the 35-year-old instilling his experience from playing 185 games for French Giants, Marseille.
