Melbourne City v Melbourne Victory will recommence with the Isuzu UTE A-League leaders a goal ahead after the fixture was halted due to crowd issues in December.
The Melbourne Derby that was suspended in December amid crowd disturbances will be resumed and completed on Wednesday April 5, the A-Leagues has confirmed.
The remaining 69 minutes of a fixture with significant ramifications for the race to secure the Premier’s Plate will be played out at AAMI Park, the scene of a pitch invasion on December 16 which resulted in the game being suspended 21 minutes into that night’s contest.
The match will resume from that point, through a drop ball, with reigning premiers and leaders City 1-0 up thanks to Aiden O’Neill’s goal scored before the game was suspended and with the teams at the same ends.
Existing ticket purchasers are being contacted by Ticketek by email and/or SMS from 11am on Friday, with options including redeeming a ticket for the game on Wednesday or a subsequent City or Victory home game this season. City supporters can click here for more details, and Victory fans click here.
The outcome will have big implications for both teams amid a hugely tight A-League Men’s table. City, currently four points clear of second-placed Adelaide United, could go seven points clear with just five rounds remaining if they clinch a win, while Victory know that a positive result for them would leave Tony Popovic’s side just three points off the top six.
Under the agreed terms of the resumption, both sides can pick any eligible player as three players included on the starting list from the original game are ruled out through injury or transfer.
The scenes in that original game led to Victory receiving a substantial fine and a suspended 10-point deduction, along with other sanctions including restrictions on their active supporters.
A number of fans received lengthy bans from attending football matches, including three for life.
