Melbourne Victory Women kick off the first leg of our semifinal tie at Coopers Stadium against Adelaide United on Sunday, May 4.
Finishing off the Ninja A-League regular season with a history-making eight-game winning streak, Victory will aim to extend their hot form into the Finals Series.
Undefeated against the Reds in our last seven meetings, Melbourne Victory have enjoyed the upper hand in head-to-head fixtures with their Original Rivals.
Melbourne Victory:
Playing out the final regular season game at AAMI Park, Victory secured a strong 2-0 win over Brisbane Roar to enter the Finals Series with a bang.
Nicki Flannery scored her fifth goal of the season with a precise finish into the top corner late in the first half, while Alex Chidiac doubled Victory’s lead early in the second half.
The result not only extended Victory’s record-breaking winning and undefeated streaks, but also represented a third-straight clean sheet, which took Jeff Hopkins’ side up to 11 for the season.
Hosting Adelaide United at AAMI Park in Round 21, Victory grasped the late win thanks to Nicki Flannery in the 91st minute.
This wasn’t the only late winner Victory have scored over their Original Rivals this season, with youngster Ava Briedis’ 92nd-minute long-range strike claiming all three points for the Navy Blues in the opening round.
Defeating the Reds in eight of the last 10 meetings between the two sides, Victory will certainly hope to stick to their winning ways in an important first-leg in the semifinal tie.
Semi-Final Leg 1 Squad:
3. Claudia BUNGE, 4. Sara D’APPOLONIA, 5. Sofia SAKALIS, 7. Ella O’GRADY, 8. Alana MURPHY, 9. Holly FURPHY, 10. Alex CHIDIAC, 11. Nicki FLANNERY, 15. Emily GIELNIK, 16 Paige ZOIS, 18. Kayla MORRISON, 19.Lia PRIVITELLI, 23. Rachel LOWE, 24. Laura PICKETT, 27. Rosie CURTIS, 41. Jessica YOUNG, 50. Courtney NEWBON, 62. Geo CANDY, 66. Alana JANCEVSKI
Ins: 16 Paige ZOIS, 19.Lia PRIVITELLI
Outs: 22. Ava BRIEDIS
Unavailable: Nil
Adelaide United
Securing third in the league by an 11-point margin, Adelaide United have had a significant improvement from their bottom-of-the-table finish in 2023/24.
After suffering defeat to Victory in Melbourne, the Reds secured two strong wins over Western United and Sydney FC to finish off their regular season.
Hosting sixth-placed Western United in the elimination final, a 24th-minute goal from defender Matilda McNamara was enough to ensure the Reds progressed through to the semifinals.
Adrian Stenta’s side will attempt to secure the best possible result at Coopers Stadium, with the Reds last winning in Melbourne back in 2015.
