Melbourne City call up Chelsea Blissett to mark Glory’s Sam Kerr

The cavalry could be arriving for Melbourne City ahead of their intimidating trip to face Sam Kerr’s Perth Glory.

Sam Kerr celebrates her goal for Perth Glory against Western Sydney Wanderers last week. Picture: AAP

The cavalry could be arriving to save W-League underperformers Melbourne City ahead of their intimidating trip to face Sam Kerr’s Perth Glory tomorrow.

Never in their four-season history have City sat lower than they now do — second-bottom — as Rado Vidosic’s side contend with injuries and players unavailable.

He hopes their round-four trip west will mark the start of a surge up the table led by returning players.

Eighteen-year-old defender Chelsea Blissett returns at the back after a serving out a suspension, while Helen Caceres, fresh from joining her A-League brother at the club, could make her debut in Perth after shaking off an illness.

Kyah Simon, who has endured achilles trouble, will face a fitness test but could play her first minutes of the campaign.

“When you’re missing several Matildas and you’re missing overseas players of course your team is not going to perform as well as when you get those players back,” Vidosic said.

“It’s one job in winning the game and it’s another to find Melbourne talent and promote them and help them to find their feet in professional football.

“We are getting game-time to younger girls and they are getting experience. Some of them are 15, 17, 18-year-olds. From that point of view it’s very good.”

With New Zealand international Rebekah Stott away helping the Kiwis reach next year’s World Cup, Blissett, in just her third W-League outing, could be given the task of marking Matildas superstar Kerr.

Vidosic said he was eager for Elise Kellond-Knight to return to the midfield and that means the toughest task in football for the rookie at the centre of the defence. Kerr has just one goal for Perth this season but given her quality that’s more likely to mean she’s due a goal rather than in a slump.

Vidosic joked that City’s plan to stop Kerr was to “kick her as hard as we can” before saying he would rely on City’s structured defence and limit her time with the ball.

“Both Kerr and (fellow striker Rachel) Hill are fabulous players; very direct,” he said.

“It’s going to be a tough game.

“We’ll defend as high as possible and try to make it as difficult as we can.”

AAP