Australia Day A-League – Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC
Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC – Latest Odds HERE.
AAMI Park
Thursday 26th January 2012.
With both sides absolutely desperate for a win to keep their finals hopes alive, there should be fireworks aplenty when Melbourne Victory welcome old foes Sydney FC to AAMI Park on Australia Day.
Clashes between these two A-League heavyweights rarely disappoint in terms of drama and controversy and if this game is anywhere near as enthralling as their previous meeting on the opening day of the season, we could all be in for a public holiday treat.
There may not have been any goals to enjoy at Etihad Stadium that night, but it was nevertheless an absorbing spectacle played out in front of a raucous crowd of over 40,000 fans and although Thursday’s crowd is likely to be significantly smaller, the more intimate surroundings of AAMI Park should ensure that the decibel level coming from the stands remains just as high.
The form of both sides has been decidedly scratchy either side of Christmas, with the hosts picking up only four points from their last six outings and the visitors managing just one win in seven and neither can really afford to lose again this week.
The Sky Blues currently occupy sixth place, with Victory four points back in seventh and it looks as if the bitter rivals may well be destined to slug it out for that last finals berth between now and the end of the season.
Victory coach Jim Magilton promised to bring new blood to his new club in the wake of last weekend’s abysmal 4-1 trouncing at the hands of Perth Glory and the Ulsterman has proved true to his word, securing the services of Socceroos defender Mark Milligan earlier this week.
Whether the 26-year-old will be cleared to play against one of his former clubs remains to be seen, but if he does, it will add yet another intriguing sub-plot to this high-stakes showdown.
Harry Kewell, meanwhile, went as far as to admit that he and his team-mates were ashamed of their performance against Glory and has vowed to make amends at the expense of his hometown club and it will be interesting to see what changes the home side make in terms of both personnel and tactics.
Matthew Foschini faces the axe after a torrid afternoon at nib Stadium, although in the young defender’s defence, he was left terribly exposed by a midfield that stubbornly refused to track back and Danny Allsopp is suspended after seeing red in the same game.
On a brighter note for the men in navy and white, left-back Fabio returns from his one-match ban and Carlos Hernandez is expected to recover from his groin strain in time to feature.
As for the visitors, they will make the short trip south without Terry Antonis who has been ruled out by a hamstring injury that also threatens to prevent him from turning out for the Olyroos in their upcoming qualifiers against Uzbekistan and United Arab Emirates.
The young midfielder’s absence may mean Nick Carle is forced to drop into a more orthodox central midfield position, with leading scorer Bruno Cazarine recalled to the starting line-up to partner Mark Bridge in attack.
The Brazilian is not the most elegant striker going around, but he has found the net five times this season and provides a decent target for the quality service provided by widemen Karol Kisel and Brett Emerton.
With both sides struggling to find any consistency, it’s not easy to predict how this clash will pan out result-wise, but with the stakes so high and A-League referees still so card-happy, tipping one of the sides, or even both, to finish without their full quota of players on the field looks a safe bet.
A share of the spoils won’t leave Magilton or Vitezslav Lavicka particularly satisfied, but it may well be what they end up with.
Prediction: Melbourne Victory 1-1 Sydney FC
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