Melbourne Victory upbeat heading into opening ACL clash against Ulsan Hyundai despite fan unrest

MELBOURNE Victory fans may be restless after three straight defeats but coach Kevin Muscat says his players remain upbeat and is confident they can make a splash in the Asian Champions League.

Victory winger Leroy George is set to start against Ulsan Hyundai. Picture: AAP

HIS positivity flies in the face of the discontent swirling around him, but Kevin Muscat is adamant Melbourne Victory can make an Asian Champions League splash starting tonight.

Victory comes into its sixth Asian campaign on the back of three straight A-League losses and with a fan base that is becoming increasingly agitated with both coach and players.

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Muscat was livid with the first-half performance in Friday’s shock 2-1 home loss to Brisbane Roar, but on Monday struck a far more composed figure as he analysed his side’s chances against South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai at AAMI Park on Tuesday night.

“We have a process that we go through after every game, regardless of the result,” Muscat said.

“We could sit here and speak about what didn’t go right, but there was so much good in the second half, so many positives, and it was just a reminder to everyone of what we are capable of.

“The idea is to get back to performing to that level right from the outset.”

Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat is staying positive despite three straight losses in the A-League. Picture: Getty Images

Muscat said the mood around the Victory camp had been “upbeat” despite large sections of the crowd booing the team throughout its performance against Roar.

Asked if he thought the backlash unwarranted, Muscat said it was “irrelevant” what he thought.

“What’s relevant is how we perform tomorrow night,” he said.

“Football is great from that perspective because we’ve got another opportunity to go out and perform well and take three points.”

Leroy George started on Friday after returning from a hamstring injury and Muscat said the winger had recovered well enough to be able to start against Ulsan.

For the Koreans, who finished fourth in the K League last year but qualified for the Champions League by winning the FA Cup, Tuesday night’s match is the first of their season.

Despite being in pre-season, coach Kim Do-hoon said he had brought a full-strength team and had every intent of taking the game up to Victory.

“I am quite confident ... we came here to win,” Do-hoon said.

“Since this is the first game of our season, we think it is very important for us to bring a good result back home. Our players are ready.’’