CITY INSIDER: Melbourne Derby - Saturday 19 March

CITY INSIDER

MELBOURNE VICTORY SATURDAY 19 MARCH AAMI PARK

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MELBOURNE CITY v MELBOURNE VICTORY

CITY INSIDER SATURDAY 19 MARCH

CAPTAIN’S MESSAGE IT’S DERBY WEEK AGAIN, AND I HOPE YOU’VE ENJOYED THE PAST SEVEN DAYS, REMINDED OF ALL THE GREAT MOMENTS WE’VE HAD IN THESE MATCHES. HOPEFULLY YOU’VE EVEN BEEN RILING UP YOUR VICTORY SUPPORTING MATES, BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT RIVALRIES ARE ALL ABOUT. As players, you’ll be used to hearing us say ‘it’s just another week’ and ‘every game is an important game’ which is true, the biggest game for us is always the next one. That being said, we know just how important this one is to you all and you can rest assured knowing the boys will be leaving everything on the pitch and are ready to do whatever it takes to win tonight.

Sometimes you hear footballers say “You never want to lose these games” when talking about Derbies, but for us, now more than ever, ‘not losing’ won’t be enough.

It’s crucial that we are approaching every single match with the sole intention of walking away with three points, and it pained us to not have achieved that last Saturday against Western United.

No doubt it was a disappointing start for us but the way the boys fought back from 2-0 down showed great character. I believe we created enough chances to win the game but some days they go in some days they don’t; that’s football.

Now we look to carry that performance straight into our next game where, as I said, taking all three points is the only outcome we’ll be happy with.

Both teams will have evolved significantly s ince the last Derby was played just before Christmas so expect an entirely different contest this time around, but I’m more than confident i n t he p rogress t hat t his group has made over the past few months following a difficult start to 2022.

It’s Derby day, the boys are flying and AAMI Park will be bouncing come the first whistle later tonight; what more could you ask for on a Saturday night?

We'll also have a close eye on another huge Derby at AAMI Park when our City Women take on Victory in their Prelim Final. We all wish the girls all the best and will be cheering them on and hoping to see them progress to the Grand Final!

See you in the stands, C’mon City!

Scott Jamieson Melbourne City FC Captain

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MELBOURNE CITY v MELBOURNE VICTORY

CITY INSIDER SATURDAY 19 MARCH

DERBY SET TO DAZZLE A HIGH-STAKES MELBOURNE DERBY IS ON THE CARDS AS OUR CITY BOYS TAKE ON THE OLD ENEMY MELBOURNE VICTORY IN THE FIXTURE’S 37TH ITERATION TONIGHT AT AAMI. Aside from having massive ramifications for either side’s Premiership and Finals hopes respectively, tonight’s winner will also gain superiority in the headto-head record, with that ledger currently balanced at 13-10-13.

We’ll be desperate for a Melbourne Derby win after failing to extend our lead at the top of the table following our 2-2 draw against Western United last Saturday, with United equal on points but possessing two games in hand.

That clash was marked by a slow start from our City boys, conceding twice in the opening half an hour, before an incredible resurgence saw us

dominate the remainder of the game and restore parity thanks to goals from Connor Metcalfe and Jamie Maclaren.

The boys have enjoyed a rare full week off following that topof-the-table clash and will hope to use that additional rest to their advantage when they come up against an undoubtedly fatigued Melbourne Victory who have had just three days break since their ACL loss to Vissel Kobe which was played in Japan midweek.

Tonight’s Derby should make for a captivating contest as both sides have evolved markedly since our last meeting in Round 5, when a see-sawing affair

that began with a Francesco Margiotta opener ended 2-2 following goals from Maclaren, Nabbout and D’Agostino.

Since then, we’ve become a goalscoring machine, netting a league-high 1.84 goals per game this season, whilst the Victory’s performances stagnated in the league following their FFA Cup success in the aftermath of the Christmas Derby.

We’re all eager for the potential return of Mathew Leckie to the starting lineup following two games out with an injury sustained against Perth Glory.

The winger was in red-hot form before his stint on the sidelines, netting six in his previous seven

A-LEAGUE MEN PREVIEW

DANGER PLAYER

SEASON STATS - MELBOURNE VICTORY

NICK D’AGOSTINO A player that City’s defence will need to be wary of come kick-off tonight is striker Nick D’Agostino. In what has been his first year in Melbourne, D’Agostino has been on fire, netting nine goals across 15 games in all competitions.

He’s also one of the most inform players in Australia, having netted five goals in his last two games; including a double and assist in Victory’s midweek Champions League loss to Japan’s Vissel Kobe.

City’s defence will be well familiar, with D’Agostino having come off the bench in the Christmas Derby in the 81st minute

5

6

LEAGUE POSITION

GAMES WON

20

17

GOALS SCORED

GOALS CONCEDED

A-LEAGUE LADDER

LAST RESULT

LAST TIME WE MET

CENTRAL COAST

1

MELBOURNE CITY

2

VICTORY

1

VICTORY

2

Isuzu UTE A-League 2021/22 Wednesday 9 March, 2022 Central Coast Stadium

VIDEO HIGLIGHTS

Isuzu UTE A-League 2021/22 Saturday 18 December, 2021 AAMI Park

VIDEO HIGLIGHTS

MATCH SQUADS

HEAD COACH: PATRICK KISNORBO

A-LEAGUE MEN

1. TOM GLOVER

2. SCOTT GALLOWAY

3. SCOTT JAMIESON

4. NUNO REIS

5. ROSTYN GRIFFITHS

7. MATT LECKIE

8. AIDEN O’NEILL

9. JAMIE MACLAREN

10. FLORIN BERENGUER

13. NATHANIEL ATKINSON

15. ANDREW NABBOUT

16. TARAS GOMULKA

17. STEFAN COLACOVSKI

18. CONNOR METCALFE

20.MANUEL PUCCIARELLI

22. CURTIS GOOD

23. MARCO TILIO

33. MATT SUTTON

34. JORDAN HALL

36. KERRIN STOKES

37. MAX CAPUTO

38. JORDAN BOS

42. AHMED TALEB

35. RAPHAEL BORGES RODRIGUES

39. ANTHONY LESIOTIS

1 20

MATT ACTON IVAN KELAVA

2 3 5 15 16 17 21

JASON GERIA JASON DAVIDSON MATTHEW SPIRANOVIC AARON ANDERSON STEFAN NIGRO BRENDAN HAMILL RODERICK MIRANDA

4 6 8 13 14 22

RAI MARCHAN LEIGH BROXHAM JOSH BRILLANTE BIRKAN KIRDAR JAY BARNETT JAKE BRIMMER

7 9 10 11 18 23 24 25 26

CHRIS IKONOMIDIS FRANCESCO MARGIOTTA ROBBIE KRUSE BEN FOLAMI NICK D’AGOSTINO MARCO ROJAS NISHAN VELUPILLAY LUIS LAWRIE-LATTANZIO LLEYTON BROOKS

HEAD COACH: TONY POPOVIC

MELBOURNE VICTORY

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MELBOURNE CITY v MELBOURNE VICTORY

CITY INSIDER SATURDAY 19 MARCH

NO ONE KNOWS THE DERBY LIKE NABBOUT HAVING FEATURED IN 14 ITERATIONS OF THE FAMOUS FIXTURE, AND IN BOTH SHADES OF BLUE, THE 28-YEAR-OLD HAS SEEN THE DERBY BACK WHEN IT WAS CONTESTED BY MELBOURNE VICTORY AND MELBOURNE HEART. He’s seen the Derby when it was played in front of 50,000+ spectators at its height back in 2015. He’s also, more recently, seen it played behind closed doors where the only spectators are on the sidelines barking instructions that echo around an empty stadium.

Football has been through a lot over the past two years but, with the 2021 Christmas Derby pulling the fixture’s biggest attendance since the outbreak of COVID – and City’s biggest home crowd since late 2018 – it looks like the spirit of the rivalry is back on the mend.

Reminiscing on some of those Derbies of old, Nabbout knows more than most just what’s at stake when Melbourne’s two shades of blue go head-tohead.

“Emotions run high, it’s really intense,” he said, “Bragging rights are on the line.”

And never more so than in this iteration, the fixture’s 37th, where the head-to-head record between the teams will likely be tipped in favour of one of the attending sets of fans’ favour by the time the final whistle blows.

At present, the ledger sits balanced at 13 wins apiece, with 10 draws also contested.

A City win, however, would truly mark a shift in the balance of footballing dominance in Melbourne, with this upcoming meeting looming as the first time in over

eight years that superiority in the head-to-head record has changed hands.

Needless to say, with a revival in attendances and head-tohead superiority at stake the rivalry is well and truly alive.

“It felt like the last Derby we had was edging our way back towards those times,” Nabbout said, referencing the 2021 Christmas Derby and the near sell-out attendances at Marvel Stadium in 2015, “The atmosphere was electric, the game was unreal.”

With both of Melbourne’s competing halves also performing well in the league, the stakes are even higher, and that can only serve to benefit the rivalry further.

“I’m actually really happy to be honest,” Carlton-born Nabbout began, “Because the Melbourne teams are taking the league by storm this year.

“It’s pleasing to see that football in Melbourne has pretty much taken over.”

Looking specifically towards the impending meeting between the crosstown rivals, the City winger is unwavering in his view on the value of the support of home fans.

“You can call it a cliché all you like; it is true, they are our 12th man,” he said, “I feel like they get us through the last 30-40 minutes of the game where you’re grinding out the tough parts of it.”

That said, it’s not just the

home support that he thrives off when it comes to Derby elements in the stands: “I love when the crowd gets on top of us, but I don’t mind when I get a bit of stick from the other side as well, obviously I’ve copped it all year and I love it.

“It really pushes me; it makes me push harder.”

Though Melbourne Derbies undoubtedly bring reunions with old friends from his time at Victory, with so much on the line for Nabbout and his City teammates, it seems he’s adopted an attitude that will undoubtedly be shared by the whole team.

“Once I step over that line, there’s no mates. It’s business and I’m there to get three points.”

MELBOURNE CITY v MELBOURNE VICTORY

CITY INSIDER SATURDAY 19 MARCH

DERBY WEEK GETS BIGGER MELBOURNE CITY FC WILL SEEK TO SECURE ITS PLACE IN THE 2022 A-LEAGUE WOMEN’S GRAND FINAL WHEN IT TAKES TO THE PITCH AGAINST MELBOURNE VICTORY IN ITS UPCOMING HOME PRELIMINARY FINAL. Rado Vidosic’s side would be the fifth City team to make it to an A-League Women’s Grand Final in our seven-year history in the competition.

The City girls appeared to have one foot already in the Grand Final when they took a 2-0 lead in the second-half of their Semi-Final against Sydney FC last Friday, but a wild half hour that included two Sky Blue goals and a City red card saw the encounter go to extra-time.

From there, Sydney made the extra number count, piling on two further goals before City also saw goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri sent off for handling the ball outside of her area.

That Semi Final result, paired with Melbourne Victory’s win over Adelaide United, now sets up a mouth-watering Melbourne Derby clash in the Preliminary Final to decide who will take on the Sky Blues in the season decider.

That Victory result came as a surprise to many, with Adelaide widely-tipped to progress to

the Preliminary stage following their red-hot finish to the regular season, a period in which they’d beaten Victory 3-0.

However, last weekend it was Jeff Hopkins’ Victory who would secure the all-important win, recording a 2-1 result thanks to goals from Lia Privitelli and Melina Ayres.

Victory accounted for United fairly comfortably in what was one of their best performances of the season, undermining their previous form of five games without a win.

Hopkins’ side has been patchy ever since its 5-1 Melbourne Derby defeat the last time it came up against City, with Hannah Wilkinson running rampant on that occasion by scoring all five in what was a historic performance.

City’s Kiwi striker has been in great form since returning from international duty, scoring four goals in her last three games. Wilkinson has moved to equal-second in City’s all-time goalscoring ranks and needs

three more strikes to move level with Jess Fishlock on 17.

The task at hand for Vidosic’s side has been made more difficult by the suspensions of Vlajnic and Barbieri, but fantastic squad depth ensures that the City Head Coach will be able to call up some exciting talents into the lineup in their place.

Vlajnic has been replaced semifrequently by Chelsea Blissett throughout this season, whether that be off the bench mid-game or in the starting lineup when the City veteran is rested, which most recently occurred against Western Sydney on the final day of our regular season.

Barbieri’s replacement is a little more certain, with Australian youth international Sally James set to make her first league start of the season after missing much of it through injury.

MELBOURNE CITY v MELBOURNE VICTORY

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CITY INSIDER SATURDAY 19 MARCH

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