A-League round 4 preview: Melbourne Victory v Wellington Phoenix
Melbourne Victory vs Wellington Phoenix
Monday 4 November
Kickoff: 7:30pm (AEDT), 9:30 (NZDT)
Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, AUS.
Referee: Matthew Gillet
Wellington Phoenix head to across the Tasman to take on a Melbourne Victory side playing their first match under new coach Kevin Muscat, who replaced the popular Ange Postecoglou after he was promoted to national duty with the Socceroos.
Muscat’s first match as head coach will be against his old mentor Ernie Merrick. The two formed a solid partnership while together at the Victory with Muscat captaining the side that Merrick coached to two A-League championships. With Merrick’s coaching ability already well documented, all eyes will be on Muscat to see how he handles stepping into void left behind by the departed Postecoglou.
Last week Postecoglou said goodbye to the Victory in the best possible way with a 1-0 win over his former team Brisbane Roar. In a tightly contested match, James Troisi managed to score not long after half-time, with the Victory then hanging on for their first win of the season after drawing their opening two matches.
Wellington are still searching for their first win after failing to beat an under strength Jets side in Napier last week. The match ended in a 0-0 draw but it could have easily gone the way of the Jets had it not been for some superb goal keeping from Glen Moss. Ernie Merrick will be desperate to get his team firing again and producing more attacking football against the Victory this week.
Form Guide: Victory (D D W), Phoenix (L D D)
Head-to-head: Played 20. Victory 11, Phoenix 3, Draws 6.
Previous encounter: Phoenix 2 – 3 Victory, March 31, 2013.
Absentee List:
Victory: Nil
Phoenix: Lewis Italiano (Ankle injury)
Possible XI:
Melbourne Victory (4-2-2-2): Coe; Geria, Contreras, Leijer, Traore; Milligan, Broxham; Thompson, Troisi, Nichols, Barbarouses
Wellington Phoenix (4-2-3-1): Moss; Bertos, Durante, Sigmund, Caira; Muscat, Reira; Brockie, Hernandez, Ifill; Huysegems.
Eyes On: Carlos Hernandez
So far this season, the Phoenix have played their best football when Hernandez too has been in form. He will be motivated to face his former team and should produce his best performance of the season. If he can get the ball early and have a few good touches then expect to see Hernandez troubling the Victory in the middle of the park all night.
Prediction:
Wellington will arrive in Melbourne ready to cause an upset with Hernandez and Merrick hoping to get one over their former team. They will fancy their chances against a Victory side who have been forced into a coaching change so early in the season. However Wellington’s struggles on the road are well documented and their record against the Victory does not make for pretty reading if you’re a Nix fan. Expect this game to be a closely fought battle with the Victory coming out on top by a goal.
Victory 2 – 1 Phoenix
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