Rhianna Pollicina expects Melbourne Victory to showcase their Finals edge again this weekend.
The Girls in Blue host Melbourne City in Leg 1 of their Ninja A-League Semi-Final at AAMI Park on Saturday, May 2, kick-off 5pm AEST.
This instalment of the Melbourne Derby is part of a special double-header, preceding the Men’s team hosting Sydney FC in an Isuzu UTE A-League Finals Series Elimination Final versus Sydney FC, kick-off 7.40pm AEST.
Victory earned the clash with City by beating Canberra United away from home a week ago, upsetting the form card to knock out the side that finished the regular season in third position.
Speaking during her pre-match press conference, Pollicina explained how and why Victory is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to Finals.
“I definitely think we showed that last week against Canberra. Finals is a different game when it comes to Victory as well – definitely that strong team that you don’t want to come up against. We turned it on last week against Canberra, but we’ve got to do that again tomorrow.
“We’ve got a lot of experience in the team, and you’ve seen that on the park last week. We’ve got a lot of girls who have played Finals, been in this position before. Jeff’s definitely got the experience when it comes to Finals as well.”
Pollicina spent four years at City, between 2021 and 2025, before switching light blue for navy during the off-season. She is, therefore, well placed to assess the opposition, Victory’s cross-town rivals.
“They’re top of the table for a reason, and we’ve got to respect that. Congratulations to them on another premiership as well. They’ve got quality all over the park, so we know we have to bring our A game. We know we have to start the game well.
“They haven’t played in a few weeks, so the first 20 minutes, we can get on top of the game and show that we’re ready to battle it out.”
Watch Pollicina’s full press conference below.
