#MVvPG Preview
Melbourne Victory host Perth Glory in their last home game for the season. In the penultimate round of the year both sides will be out to finish off the year in style. Melbourne’s last two games have been on the road with both games ending in a 1-1 draw against Sydney and Brisbane. Perth’s faint finals hopes took a further hit last weekend with a shock 2-1 home defeat to last placed Wellington Phoenix. With Perth in an uphill battle to make the finals, the last thing they need is a trip to Melbourne against a Victory side primed for finals and eager to finish off their home campaign in style.
Melbourne will be looking forward to the familiar surrounds of AAMI Park after a difficult two weeks on the road. A 1-all draw with major rivals Sydney FC last weekend wasn’t the result they were quite after in the lead up to the finals. Victory made a bright start to the match with an early Mark Milligan goal. In an end-to-end match, Melbourne couldn’t extend their lead and eventually conceded a late goal. Both sides had plenty of chances to take all three points but couldn’t. Sydney FC arguably had the better of the chances, including a penalty to Alessandro Del Piero who couldn’t get the kick past Nathan Coe. Perth had a game to forget last week with a disappointing 2-1 loss to Wellington. With Perth fighting for their season they would surely be disappointed to not take three points against the bottom placed side at home.
With a home final booked in for Victory the next two weeks is all about being in prime form for an attack on the championship. Victory have some big inclusion’s for the game with the return of skipper Adrian Leijer from suspension and the long-awaited return of marquee man Marcos Flores. Victory will however be with important trio Mark Milligan, Archie Thompson and Marco Rojas due to international duty. Perth themselves are without key personnel with Michael Thwaite and Shane Smeltz missing in action.
Despite missing three key men Melbourne have the goods to win this encounter. Perth showed little in defeat last weekend despite playing for their season. Melbourne on the other hand have been punching above their weight despite missing key men. The missing trio is a big disadvantage for Melbourne, but they have shown all year they can perform despite being missing key players. So close to the finals Melbourne will be in no mood to finish the year in front of their loyal home fans with a defeat.
Prediction – Victory 2-0.
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