Melbourne Victory skipper Kevin Muscat admits he has a point to prove when the reigning Hyundai A-League champions travel to Sydney on Sunday in a bid to win the major semi-final and host this season’s grand final.
Melbourne Victory skipper Kevin Muscat admits he has a point to prove when the reigning Hyundai A-League champions travel to Sydney on Sunday in a bid to win the major semi-final and host this season’s grand final.
Muscat was missing through suspension when Sydney beat Melbourne 2-0 in the last home and away round in Sydney to snatch the Premiers’ Plate from Melbourne’s grasp at the last minute.
But with Muscat this time available and the Victory defending a 2-1 lead from the first leg in Melbourne, the skipper has vowed to do his utmost to ensure Melbourne completes the job and hosts its third Hyundai A-League premiership decider in five years as it bids to become the first club in the competition to win three titles.
“I think it’s well documented that I felt disabled watching from that stands in that game,” he said of the disappointing last-round defeat.
“In the end we pulled up a bit short (to win the minor premiership) but that is behind us now and we now we have got a serious opportunity to host a grand final knowing the two times we have been able to do that before we have won them.”
“So there is certainly an underlying hunger to bring the grand final back here (to Melbourne) to easily the best fans in the country.”
Victory is hopeful both star strikers in Archie Thompson (foot) and Robbie Kruse (ankle) will return from injury for Sunday’s second leg but regardless of just how much game time the pair can muster in their comebacks, the defending champions have vowed not to play for the 0-0 draw that would guarantee them direct passage to a home grand final.
However, Muscat insists all the pressure is on Sydney on Sunday with the Sky Blues knowing that unless they score it will be Melbourne that hosts this year’s grand final while they will have to back up in next week’s preliminary final against either Wellington or Newcastle.
“The reality is they have got to come out and score,” he said of Sydney.
“But they have been in the situation before (when Sydney needed to beat Melbourne in the final round to clinch the Premiers’ Plate) and they have done that but we have learned from that.”
“It’s all set up perfectly for another big game and hopefully the atmosphere is as good as it was last time (in Sydney when 25,000 turned up for the last round match) but this time around we get over the top of them.”
