Melbourne Victory has added four players to an extended squad for Saturday night’s clash with Western Sydney Wanderers at ANZ Stadium.
George Howard and Stefan Nigro have been promoted, with youth team players Cameron McGilp and Josh Hope also included.
McGilp, 19, made his Hyundai A-League debut against Brisbane Roar last month, while Hope, also 19, was an unused substitute in that game.
Defenders Alan Baro and Jason Geria will both miss the match against Wanderers due to suspension.
Baro was sent off in last week’s 3-0 loss to Wellington Phoenix, while Geria picked up his eighth booking of the season, triggering a one-match ban.
Victory is aiming for its fourth straight win over the Wanderers, with its unbeaten streak against Western Sydney stretching back to 2015.
But the Wanderers are on a four-game winning streak of their own in all competitions, having beaten Newcastle Jets, City, Wellington in the Hyundai A-League and FC Seoul in the AFC Champions League over the past month.
Besart Berisha scored a hat-trick last time Victory and Western Sydney met, with Victory prevailing 3-0 at ANZ Stadium in Round 10.
Second-placed Victory needs only a point to secure a home Semi Final, while Western Sydney has plenty to play for, with a home Elimination Final still in reach.
Saturday night’s match will be broadcast live and exclusively on Fox Sports 505 from 7.25pm AEST.
Hyundai A-League 2016/17 Round 26
Western Sydney Wanderers v Melbourne Victory
Saturday, April 8, 7.50pm AEST
ANZ Stadium, Sydney
TV: Live on Fox Sports 505 from 7.25pm AEST
Radio: 1116 SEN, ABC Grandstand
Online: Join the conversation on social media using #WSWvMVC
Melbourne Victory squad (two to be omitted): 4.Nick ANSELL, 5.Daniel GEORGIEVSKI, 6.Leigh BROXHAM, 7.Marco ROJAS, 8.Besart BERISHA, 10.James TROISI, 11.Mitch AUSTIN, 14.Fahid BEN KHALFALLAH, 16.Rashid MAHAZI, 17.James DONACHIE, 19.George HOWARD, 20.Lawrence THOMAS (gk), 21.Carl VALERI (c), 22.Stefan NIGRO, 23.Jai INGHAM, 32.Cameron McGILP, 35.Josh HOPE, 40.Matt ACTON (gk)
Ins: 19.George HOWARD (promoted), 22.Stefan NIGRO (promoted), 32.Cameron McGILP (promoted), 35.Josh HOPE (promoted)
Outs: 2.Jason GERIA (suspended – 1 week), 15.Alan BARO (suspended – 1 week)
Unavailable: Nil
