A-League: City v Victory just another game for Warren Joyce

The A-League’s master of understatement, Melbourne City coach Warren Joyce, calls it just another game.

Melbourne City coach Warren Joyce, left, and Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat. Picture: AAP

The A-League’s master of understatement, Melbourne City coach Warren Joyce, calls it just another game.

But the reality is, tonight’s ­Melbourne derby is so much more for both his club and the league.

After last night’s season-opener in Adelaide, Marvel Stadium will host the colour and the noise of the A-League’s biggest drawcard — a crosstown showdown.

About 40,000 fans are expected, and that would signal a return to health for the maligned competition after a lacklustre term last season.

Keisuke Honda, the league’s biggest new name since Alessandro Del Piero pulled on a Sydney FC shirt, will make his debut for Melbourne Victory, who can show off the A-League championship trophy they won last May. And perhaps that’s why Joyce was keeping a lid on things yesterday.

“I don’t look at it as a party,” he said. “It’s just a game we both want to win. It’s not a party, it’s a game of football. Two competitive teams and two competitive managers that both want to win.

“Whoever you (would be) playing tomorrow night, you’d want to win the game,” he said, somewhat nonplussed.

Victory coach Kevin Muscat has two major injury doubts — newly arrived Swedish striker Ola Toivonen and captain Carl Valeri — but took the opposite approach to his opposite number, building up the expectation ahead of kick-off.

“Tomorrow is a huge occasion,” Muscat said yesterday. “Our members and fans once again will be there to support us in huge numbers.

“We look forward to it as it’s been a long time since we’ve seen them. It will be a fierce contest.”

No stranger to the raucous derby atmosphere, Muscat said settling into the environment would be crucial.

“In previous derbies, and I don’t think tomorrow will be any different, it’s been really hot in there and particularly in midfield,” he said. “Composure on the ball is key.

“Once the game settles down the team that has the most composure with the ball will create ­ascendancy.”

While Victory have attracted the biggest stars in the off-season, City have brought in lower-key imports such as Ritchie De Laet from Belgium and Frenchman Florin Berenguer.

Joyce said names were unimportant.

“Everybody’s got two arms and two legs and that’s how we treat everyone we’re playing against,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of stars. They had a lot of stars last year.

“Every team in the league has got good players.

“You’ve got to give them ­respect but no respect — the ­respect they deserve. What matters is what happens on the grass.”

Muscat hasn’t ruled out the possibility of Toivonen making his A-League debut against City but the Swedish star faces a battle after missing training yesterday.

The giant Swede is one of ­several in doubt for the showpiece match, including Valeri.

Along with Honda, Georg ­Niedermeier and Corey Brown are also certain to make their Victory debuts, as is returning defender Nick Ansell.

Muscat said Valeri was “in a good place” even though the 34-year-old didn’t play in two recent friendlies. Ever the optimist, Muscat was putting a positive spin on Valeri’s fitness issue, pointing to new-found depth following a strong summer of recruitment.

“He’s missed a couple of weeks through a little bit of a knock,” he said. “We’ve got quite a few players that can play in that role.”

Toivonen, 32, looks likely to start on the bench against City, if at all.

AAP