Archie Thompson has joked he will ‘pack the reef oil’ as Melbourne Victory prepare for an expected heatwave in Perth this weekend.
With temperatures in the Western Australia capital expected to top 38 degrees on Sunday, the current Hyundai A-League leaders are taking no chances against the Glory at Members Equity Stadium.
Melbourne will use ice vests before the match and during the half-time break as well as take in plenty of fluids in an effort to keep cool for the crucial encounter.
“Obviously it (the heat) is going to be a factor but we have people in our management who are all about sports science and how to manage your fluid intake, so I’m sure we’ll be prepared for the match on Sunday,” Thompson said after training in Melbourne on Friday.
The Victory are coming off three consecutive home wins – including a 1-0 defeat of main championship rival Adelaide United at Telstra Dome on Tuesday night – and with three weeks remaining in the regular season are heading into the finals in the right vein of form.
Perth, on the other hand, is all but out of finals contention and is set to make an emotional farewell this week to goalkeeper Jason Petkovic after 176 games for the club.
Thompson said Melbourne remained wary of a Glory outfit that is keen on upsetting the 2006/07 champions for the second time in six weeks.
Perth beat Melbourne 3-1 in their last meeting at Members Equity Stadium in Round 14.
“You’ve gotta be on your toes now,” Thompson said. “Obviously it’s so close up the top. Even fifth position, if you don’t get results you can still slide out of the top four.”
“We’re just focusing on what we can do and we’re doing it well at the moment, so we’re going to take that confidence into Perth.”
The star striker also shrugged off further concerns over his troublesome knee, which he first injured playing for the Socceroos early last year.
“Obviously there’s a little bit of pain there. But the medical staff are doing wonders and I’m just grateful I can get up for each game. I think it’s just a bit of bruising on the bone so hopefully it’s not too serious,” he said.
