Reigning A-League champions Melbourne City will lock horns with Melbourne Victory in the league derby this Saturday.
Venue: Melbourne Rectangular stadium
Key statistics – Melbourne City vs Melbourne Victory
- Melbourne City are fourth in the A-League table with 7 points whilst Melbourne Victory sit second in the table with 9 points.
- City won their previous league fixture against Perth Glory whereas Victory were also victorious against Adelaide on matchday 3.
- Both teams have shared spoils only once out of their last 10 head-to-head encounters.
- The hosts have scored 21 goals in their last 10 head-to-head encounters as opposed to Victory’s 9 goals.
Head to Head (H2H)
Both sides share 13 wins apiece in the 35 head-to-head encounters, with 9 games ending in draws.
Latest performances in all competitions
Melbourne City: W D W L W
Melbourne Victory: W W W L W
Melbourne City
The reigning champions haven’t had the best of the start to the title defence, as they are currently fourth in the A-League table with 7 points (W2 L1 D1).
After getting beaten by Western Sydney Wanderers, City bounced back with a narrow 1-0 win over Perth Glory, with Nathaniel Atkinson scoring the late winner.
They will now look to capitalize on the winning momentum when they lock horns with Melbourne Victory in the derby.
A victory for the home side could see them leapfrog their cross-town rivals to second place in the table.
Jamie Maclaren holds an excellent record against Victory, scoring 6 goals in the last 3 derbies.
Possible Melbourne City line-up
Tom Glover; Scott Galloway, Nuno Reis, Curtis Good, Scott Jamieson; Aiden O’Neill, Connor Metcalfe, Florin Berenguer; Matthew Leckie, Andrew Nabbout, Jamie Maclaren
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory have made an excellent start to the new season and would look to continue their impressive form in the derby.
The visitors two-match winning run came to a halt with a 3-0 heavy defeat against Perth Glory. However, they bounced back with a thrilling 2-1 win over Adelaide United in the A-League last week.
Marcos Rojas has been impressive this season for Victory, racking up three assists in 4 games.
New signing Francesco Margiotta opened his account in the A-League against Adelaide last week and the Italian striker would look to make an impact once again in the derby.
Brendon Hamill will miss the clash due to a groin injury while defender Jason Davidson has been suspended after receiving a red card last week.
Possible Melbourne Victory line-up
Ivan Kelava; Stefan Nigro, Leigh Broxham, Jason Geria, Matthew Spiranovic; Joshua Brillante, Rai Marchan; Marco Rojas, Jake Brimmer, Ben Folami; Nick D’Agostino
Injured: Brendon Hamill
Doubtful: None
Suspended: Jason Davidson
Prediction
Melbourne City 2 – 1 Melbourne Victory
