CITY INSIDER: Double Header - 17/12/22

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IT’S DERBY TIME

Looking to bounce back from last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Sydney FC on the road, City will be eager to find itself back in the winner’s circle and continue its strong start to the 2022/23 campaign. Despite the loss there was still good signs from the encounter in Sydney, the teams first hit out since the World Cup break.

Jamie Maclaren opened the scoring, converting from the penalty spot to extend his goalscoring streak to seven games.

Maclaren is now only one goal away from equalling the current A-League Men’s record of eight consecutive games set by Andy Keogh back in 2016.

After coming off the substitutes bench following his return to the squad from Socceroos duties, Marco Tilio almost gave City an equaliser late in the piece only for his shot to be denied by the crossbar.

Now returning home for its first home fixture in over a month, City is turning AAMI Park into quite the fortress, with the side losing only one of its last 13 regular season games played at the venue. City

has also has had the bragging rights over Victory in recent times, unbeaten in seven of the last eight encounters between teams.

It was again Maclaren who scored the opener when the two sides last met in October, with City running out eventual 2-0 winners.

Victory are coming into Saturday’s match off the back of a 1-0 win over Macarthur, with Ben Folami scoring a late winner in the 84th minute.

Victory will be eager to win back some bragging rights from City but they’ll have to do it the hard way with City’s defense proving to be a serious force this season.

A win on Saturday would solidify City’s position at the top of the A-League Men’s table and leave it with an impressive record of six wins, one draw and one loss heading into the Christmas period.

DANGER PLAYER

BRUNO FORNAROLI

Tonight is set to be the first time City fans see their team come up against a former fan favourite in his new colours. While seeing Fornaroli on an opposition side is nothing new given his stint in Perth, it’ll be a little different given he’s now playing for our biggest rival. He netted a penalty awarded not long after he was subbed on for his Victory debut but other than that, Fornaroli is yet to find the back of the net this season from four starts – two at Glory and two at Victory. That being said, City fans will be well and truly aware of the dangers he brings when fit and firing.

The Melbourne Derby is back tonight as Melbourne City takes on cross-town rivals Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park.

Richard Van Der Venne

Raphael Borges Rodrigues

SQUAD

Paul Izzo

Matt Acton

CITY V WESTERN UNITED

Currently three from three and firing on all cylinders, City is set to face its new cross-town rivals for the first time in competitive action.

Western has also enjoyed a strong start to the season and is the only other team in the competition standing alongside City as not having dropped a point.

One of the two teams (if not both) will see that streak come to an end on Saturday though, as City gets set for its first of four home matches at AAMI Park.

It’s tough to know where to start when talking about City’s squad this season, given its been so impressive across the pitch.

The combination of youth and experience at the back in Naomi Chinnama and Katie Bowen has been rock solid, while the goalkeepers union of Sally James and Melissa Barbieri has been just as reliable.

City has conceded just twice this season and will hoping to record a

second clean sheet of the campaign come Saturday evening.

Further up the pitch, City’s attack has been the most potent in the league, netting an average of four goals a game after three fixtures.

Both Bryleeh Henry and Maria Jose Rojas will have their eyes on extending their goalscoring streaks, having scored in every fixture so far this season.

Since joining City, the hard-working Henry has already doubled her goal-scoring tally since making her debut in the league in 2020.

The attacking duo has been well fed from the midfield and wide areas, with the likes of Rhianna Pollicina and Emina Ekic also causing plenty of trouble for opposition defences in recent weeks.

DANGER PLAYER - HANNAH KEANE

Not only will it be City’s first time facing Western United in a competitive hit out, it’ll also be the first time the teams defence will have to deal with American forward Hannah Keane.

The 29-year-old’s career has taken her across the world with stints in her home country of the US, England, Germany, Portugal and Spain all on her CV.

Funnily enough, Keane is no stranger to Victoria having played an NPL season with Alamain FC back in 2016, but she is now playing professionally down under for the first time.

She’s enjoyed a fine start to life in green and black, firing off an average of four shots a game and already having four goal contributions (two shots and two assists) to her name.

Dario Vidosic’s Women’s squad will be aiming to continue its perfect start to the season this Saturday evening when it hosts Western United.

OUR CITYROOS RETURN TO AAMI PARK

Melbourne City’s trio of Socceroos stars make their highly anticipated return to AAMI Park tonight in a massive Melbourne Derby.

While we’re more than used to Mathew Leckie and Jamie Maclaren terrorising defences and entertaining fans at club level, they got their opportunity to do it on the big stage at the World Cup in Qatar.

Our City trio all played varying roles, with Marco Tilio also part of the squad but sadly for many City fans who were eagerly hoping to see the young attacker on the world stage, didn’t get a chance to take to the pitch.

Places like Federation Square and AAMI Park were bustling with eager football fans, dying to get a glimpse of the Socceroos on their historic World Cup run.

When Matthew Leckie curled that ball around the experienced glove of Kasper Schmeichel into the back of the Denmark net, football fans erupted - remarkable scenes given it was 3am on a Thursday.

While he’s been a much-loved figure with City fans for the last couple of seasons, Leckie wrote his own chapter of Australian sporting history with that iconic strike against Denmark as it sealed the Socceroos unlikely emergence from the Group Stage.

Just as we reminisce on that historic John Aloisi penalty of 2005 and that Cahill wonder strike in 2014, the nation will forever the Leckie magic of 2022.

In that moment, those that gathered around the nation finally began to truly believe that those mighty Socceroos were going to pull it off.

There was a strong City presence amongst that memorable 26-man squad that knocked off Tunisia, Denmark and went agonisingly close to upsetting Argentina.

Melbourne City Academy graduate Nathaniel Atkinson was just one of many former City stars that saw time on the biggest stage in football, tasked with stopping none other than Kylian Mbappe in the opening Group Stage match.

With the world class Melbourne City Academy nurturing and developing the next generation of footballing talent, we well and truly could have the next batch of Socceroos heroes currently training right here on our doorstep.

20-year-old Academy product Jordan Bos certainly looms as a strong future contender for the Socceroos left back position, with the talented youngster already receiving caps in Australia’s U17, U19 and U23 squads.

A late inclusion into the 26-man squad for Qatar, Tilio may not have seen the pitch, but the experience will no doubt prove invaluable ahead of the 2026 World Cup where he will no doubt be hoping to feature heavily.

Tom Glover is another who could certainly bang down the door for international honours, with the talented goalkeeper boasting immense potential at only 24 years of age.

17-year-old Max Caputo has already come on in leaps and bounds with his development in the City system, and the forward certainly looks to be one to watch in the coming years while there are plenty of other youngsters coming through the ranks that we’re sure you’ll hear about soon..

LAM: I’LL DO WHATEVER IS BEST FOR THE TEAM

Now six games into his City career, Finnish international Thomas Lam has his eyes on helping his new Club win silverware.

Now living outside of Europe for the first time, Lam told club media earlier this season that the opportunity to live in Melbourne and ‘see the other side of the world’ was just too good to pass up.

“It’s a special city and I’ve heard a lot of great things about the lifestyle and how great the people here are,” he said, “Everyone is just always smiling and very welcoming.”

Lam’s arrival in Melbourne saw him quickly join in training with his teammates as City was hard at work preparing for the new season. Having enjoyed a few months off following a 2021/22 season spent with Bulgaria’s CSKA-Sofia, the 28-year-old was eager to get back out onto the training pitch.

“All of the boys welcomed me very warmly which was nice,” he said.

“You can see that the team is very together. I’m the kind of person that thrives in that environment, so it’s made it easy to adapt and fit into the squad.”

Bringing the ability to play both as a defensive midfielder or central defender, Lam’s versatility has already come in handy as City aims to make it a third consecutive silverware-winning season.

He’s already been used at both positions so far in the early stages of his City career and has taken a no fuss approach, happy to play wherever will suit the team best on the day.

“Wherever they decide to play me each game, I’ll always be ready to do everything I can to help the team,” Lam said.

Upon his signing, City’s Director of Football, Michael Petrillo, described Lam as a player whose attributes made him ‘the perfect fit for our football style’.

When asked what he personally felt a few of his best attributes were, Lam was quick to reel off a few exciting traits.

“I think my technical ability on the pitch, my passing range and my vision are my biggest strengths on the ball,” he said.

It’s already been an enjoyable start to life at City for Lam with all those traits shining through, and fans will be hoping to see more of the same in tonight’s Derby.

IT’S A SPECIAL CITY AND I’VE HEARD A LOT OF GREAT THINGS ABOUT THE LIFESTYLE AND HOW GREAT THE PEOPLE ARE HERE, EVERYONE IS ALWAYS SMILING AND WELCOMING.

CAPTAIN’S MESSAGE

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- Scott Jamieson Melbourne City FC Captain