Rachel Lowe is going to savour the next steps of Melbourne Victory’s mouthwatering Ninja A-League Finals Series.
The Girls in Blue, having overcome Canberra United on the road in an Elimination Final last weekend, are primed for a two-legged Melbourne Derby showstopper to decide who reaches the 2026 Grand Final.
They will host City at AAMI Park on Saturday, May 2, kick-off 5pm AEST, as part of a Finals double header with the A-League Men’s team, before the second leg takes place a week later.
These will be the first Finals meetings between the two teams since April 2023, with Victory winning the two previous meetings at this stage of the season.
Speaking to MelbourneVictory.com.au, Lowe previewed the showdown and what advantage can be taken from both matches being here in Victoria.
“Playing games in a big stadium is always fun, and it’s a great ground, and obviously, with it being the double header, hopefully, we get a good crowd as well.
“It’s a huge game, and to play in a derby in the semi-finals is something that we all look forward to. It’s going to be a great game, looking forward to it.
“Because it was an elimination final, we just had to focus on winning that first. But then, knowing really quickly, as soon as the final whistle had gone against Canberra, that we were playing City, I think there was a lot of excitement around the group.
“Being able to stay in Melbourne is a great kind of advantage for both teams. But we’ll try and use that so we can come in fresh and not have to travel.”
Victory were excellent value for their success over Canberra in ACT, scoring thrice away from home, kick-started by Rachel Lowe’s opener – her third goal of the campaign.
Jeff Hopkins’ side executed an adjusted game plan versus United at McKellar Park, and midfielder Lowe explained how this benefited the team on the day, and what can be taken from this into the upcoming fixtures.
“It was a really fun game to play in. We had the three weeks off, so we had time to prepare for a long time, and we decided to change the way we were playing, so bringing in an extra six to help with the build-up, and it gave me and Mini (Rhianna Pollicina) more freedom up top to try and combine.
“And I think Grace did a really good job of coming into the side and giving us that extra support to play forward and combine.
“City is a different team to Canberra, so we still have to adapt, change and be flexible with the way we do things, but we’ve got a good kind of starting base now, and we have to tweak a few things.”
