Round 22: Melbourne Victory v Central Coast
Can Melbourne Victory bounce back from an embarrassing defeat?
The first match of Round 22 comes to us on Friday night from AAMI Park where Melbourne Victory will be taking on Central Coast Mariners in a match which will be tight, and a big one for both teams.
Last Saturday, Melbourne Victory had a derby to forget. 4 goals conceded, a controversial red card for Nick Ansell combined with a drubbing all over the field.
Mariners on the other hand fared better with a deserved 2-1 victory over Sydney FC on Saturday. The Mariners desperately needed the win, their last win coming over a month ago in Round 16 and in turn stopping, at least for now, their slide down the table.
Both teams sit together on 30 points on the table, the Mariners sitting one spot ahead of Victory on goal difference, albeit only one goal better off. This game has a lot of meaning for both sides, with a win for either side crucial in a time where dropped points severely hurt in the run home for a finals spot. Both sides are battling for those finals spots, knowing that Sydney, Wellington, Newcastle and Heart are all behind chasing them down.
Form Guide
Played: 27 Victory: 10 Drawn: 8 Central Coast: 9
Melbourne Victory Last 5: LDWWL CentralCoast Mariners: LLLLW
Absentee List
Melbourne Victory: Milligan, Rogic (both international duty) Ansell (suspended) Leijer (facial fracture)
CentralCoast Mariners: Bosnar, Flores, Morton, Neill, Kwasnik (all injured) McGlinchey (on loan)
Possible XI
Melbourne Victory: Coe; Geria, Contreras, Traore, Galloway; Barbarouses, Broxham, Nabbout, Troisi; Finkler, Thompson
Central Coast: Reddy; Roux, Anderson, Seip, Rose; Caceres, Montgomery, Ibini; Sterjovski, Fitzgerald, Simon
Keep your eye out for
Gui Finkler: The Brazilian has been a stand out for Victory so far this season, confirming his status as a cult hero amongst the Victory fans. Finkler was left out of the Victory’s ACL squad so he will more than likely play a full 90 minutes on Friday night. Look for him to be the main man in the middle for Victory, and keep an eye on his prowess when it comes to set pieces around the box.
Prediction
Both teams are at a crossroads at the moment and a win is crucial for both. I think a draw is on the cards for the match. I would predict Victory if it weren’t for the amount of players they will be missing. I can see it being a relatively straight-forward match, without many goals and possibly not the most entertaining match you’ll ever see but as we’ve seen, the A-League has been incredibly unpredictable this season.
Final prediction: Draw 1-1
FTSAL Fact
The Mariners have never beaten Victory at AAMI Park.
Gui Finkler has scored 4 of his 7 goals for Victory in the last 15 minutes of matches.
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