A-League preview Round 11: Melbourne City to show Victory no mercy in derby
Melbourne City won’t have a better opportunity to knock off a Victory and the blue half of the city doesn’t intend to go easy on their struggling rivals. Check out David Davutovic’s Round 11 preview.
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Melbourne City defender Harrison Delbridge declared that they were going for the kill against vulnerable Melbourne Victory.
As Delbridge prepares to renew acquaintances with Ola Toivonen after their Round 1 stoush, City is preparing for Victory to scrap.
The sky blue half of Melbourne never been so dominant in 30 derby encounters.
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City is seven places clear of Victory heading into the traditional Christmas cracker.
The only other time there was such a sizeable gap between the derby combatants was ahead of the Round 21 clash in 2013-14, when last-place City played third-place Victory.
“It’s business. It’s us or them, they’re struggling, we’re not looking to put out a helping hand or go easy on them,” Delbridge said.
“They maybe haven’t been in this situation in the past, but (in reverse) they’ve looked to do the same with us.
“We’ll be coming out all guns blazing and not holding anything back.
“You can see a few teams that aren’t where they want to be. The difference, we’ve had a few hiccups, but we’ve responded every time. They haven’t found their response yet.”
Delbridge said City’s defence was ready for Toivonen and Victory’s physical onslaught.
“There was back and forth off the ball. He’s experienced, smart. Knows when people aren’t looking, uses his body. Towards the end he got a bit frustrated and gave me a solid one in the ribs – I’d had enough if it at that point,” he said.
“He’s a quality player, but especially where they’re at, they know they’ll have to fight. It could be a scrap, which I’m completely happy with.
“I’m fully prepared for that sort of game. They’ll be looking to scrap and we’ll be ready to answer. Should be a good match up for us.”
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ROUND 11 PREVIEW
WESTERN SYDNEY v WESTERN UNITED
Bankwest Stadium, Friday, 7.30pm
TAB Odds: Wanderers $2.50, Draw $3.40, United $2.70
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DAVUTOVIC’S VERDICT: UNITED 2-1
MELBOURNE CITY v MELBOURNE VICTORY
AAMI Park, Saturday, 5pm
TAB Odds: City $1.87, Draw $3.80, Victory $3.80
City midfielder Denis Genreau has suffered a double blow with a shoulder injury ruling him out of Saturday’s derby and the Olyroos’ Tokyo 2020 qualifiers next month.
Genreau, 20, will miss at least three weeks with an AC joint problem. He hopes to avoid surgery after his heavy fall in Sunday’s 4-0 win at Newcastle Jets. Rostyn Griffiths (illness) could return.
Victory’s German defender Tim Hoogland has declared himself ready to start, having finally ended a nightmare injury run that started the day before the Round 1 derby.
While fellow defender Tommy Deng is trying to prove his fitness for Saturday, Hoogland says he is right.
“I was out for 10 weeks almost, but I’ve trained without issues and pain this week, so I feel confident to start from the beginning,” Hoogland said.
DAVUTOVIC’S VERDICT: 1-1 DRAW
A-LEAGUE LADDER
1. Sydney 9:8-0-1 +14 (24pts)
2. Melbourne City 9:-6-1-2 +2 (19pts)
3. Western United 10:5-1-4 +2 (16pts)
4. Adelaide United 8:5-0-3 +4 (15pts)
5. Perth Glory 9:3-3-3 +2 (12pts)
6. Wellington Phoenix 9:3-2-4 -1 (11pts)
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7. Western Sydney 9:3-1-5 -4 (10pts)
8. Melbourne Victory 10:2-3-5 -5 (9pts)
9. Brisbane Roar 9:2-2-5 -6 (8pts)
10. Newcastle Jets 8:2-2-4 -6 (8pts)
11. Central Coast 8:2-1-5 -6 (7pts)