Absolute domination! Can Victory maintain their unbelievable record against The Reds
Sunday 9 January 2011 3PM
Absolute domination! Can Victory maintain their unbelievable record against The Reds and turn a terrific ten into an emphatic eleven?
Sunday-s blockbusting battle with Adelaide United is the first in a hat-trick of absolutely mouth-watering fixtures for Melbourne Victory as the season reaches boiling point! After taking on The Reds on Sunday, Victory head to Sydney Football Stadium for a clash with their oldest and fiercest rivals before returning home for the derby decider against Heart.
What a fortnight it is set to be! If that run of games doesn-t get you excited, then nothing will! And what a way to start this triple treat, with a home game against the side that they have absolute domination over!
Victory-s record against Adelaide United is quite extraordinary. They haven’t lost to The Reds since an encounter at Hindmarsh Stadium all the way back in October 2007 and haven’t even dropped a point against them since December of the same year at Etihad Stadium. That equates to 10 wins in a row.
If that wasn-t impressive enough, three of them came in the Grand Finals at the end of the Hyundai A-League 2008/09 season, with Melbourne smashing United 6-0 on aggregate over two legs in the major semi-final before a 1-0 win when the sides met again in the final secured the crown for the side from Victoria.
It seems that Victory-s hold over the South Australians supersedes current from as well. When the teams last met at Etihad Stadium back in October, Adelaide arrived on the back of a then record-breaking 13-match unbeaten spell but this counted for nothing.
Even after the visitors had made a dream start, storming into the lead in the opening minute thanks to Iain Fyfe-s header, Victory managed to fight back and take the points in front of an ever-passionate Etihad crowd of over 16,000.
Unsurprisingly, it was Robbie Kruse that did the damage. His goal brought parity before Carlos Hernandez delivered the killer blow midway through the second period.
However, while the defeat took some of the wind out of Adelaide-s sails, they are still very much a force to be reckoned with in the Hyundai A-League 2010/11 season, and, at AAMI, where Melbourne Victory are a little less sure of themselves than at their long-standing Etihad fortress, they will surely fancy their chances of finally getting a result.
This game represents the penultimate away match for Rini Coolen-s side in the Hyundai A-League 2010/11 season. After this, a trip to Skilled Park is bookended by four home games, so, they-ll be looking to hit the ground running by picking something up at AAMI Park. Their confidence levels would go through the roof were they to go into a run of very winnable home games having just toppled Victory at long last.
Can Melbourne Victory continue their total dominance over Adelaide United on Sunday afternoon? With a huge crowd of noisy Blue and Whites creating an intimidating atmosphere, they certainly stand a good chance. However, nothing lasts for ever, and law of averages says that The Reds have to get one over their tormentors sooner or later.
Will this be the game where The Reds break the curse? Whatever happens, this one is sure to be a white-knuckle ride. So make a trip to AAMI Park and experience all the thrills of Hyundai A-League action at its most intense.
