Melbourne Victory Head Coach Tony Popovic spoke to media this morning ahead of Saturday’s away trip to Adelaide.
Victory enters the match on the back of four consecutive draws.
The two teams have faced off three times this season across all competitions, with Victory claiming two wins and a draw.
Popovic on the Original Rivalry…
“I’ve now got to experience a few times what the rivalry means to both sets of fans, it’s a big game.”
“I enjoyed the experience getting the three points last time and hopefully we can do it again.”
On returning stars…
“The Socceroos boys (D’Agostino and Folami) came back last night healthy, so we’ll see how they come in today in terms of fatigue but the important part is they’re not injured.”
“Spira (Matt Spiranovic) has recovered well from covid.”
On the squad’s form and health:
“We certainly welcome the six days between our last match and Adelaide after what we went through with Japan etc.”
“We know the busy period is coming again from next week but we’ve got some rhythm with dealing with that now. Our players’ conditioning is a lot better physically, and mentally they’ve adapted.”
“Putting the results aside, we’ve played very well the last three matches after coming back from Japan. The players are feeling really good, they’re positive, they’re healthy, and we know every game is a big game, but that’s how it should be for Melbourne Victory.”