Melbourne Victory defender Claudia Bunge is ready for a showdown with Perth Glory.
The Girls in Blue wrap up their regular season schedule with an interstate trip to Western Australia on Friday, April 3, kick-off 7pm AEDT.
They will face Perth at the Sam Kerr Football Centre, knowing nothing more than three points is required to give them a shot at overhauling either Central Coast Mariners or Brisbane Roar to qualify for Finals.
Victory are ranked seventh going into the weekend, needing a win and results to go their way to finish in the top six for an eighth consecutive season.
Speaking during her pre-match press conference, Bunge previewed the critical Round 22 clash.
“It’s definitely a high-pressure game this weekend. It’s pretty much a final. Both teams need a win to get into the top six, so it’s going to be really exciting, and there’s going to be lots of pressure involved.
“But we’re ready for it, and we’re looking forward to it. And we’ve got to expect that Perth are just going to throw everything at us. All we’re thinking about is the game, and then whatever happens after that, happens after that.”
The New Zealander has featured in all but one of the team’s 19 ALW matches this term, when she was on international duty, playing 90 minutes on 17 of these occasions, and provided an honest assessment of the campaign.
“It’s been a turbulent season, just in terms of results. One week we’re getting three points, next week we’re losing. So that can be quite mentally tough, and I think a lot of teams have had that problem this year. It’s probably down to a number of things, just not being good enough in some game-defining moments, and then just the league in general has just been really tight this season.”
Watch Bunge’s full press conference below.
