Melbourne coach Ernie Merrick says he will wait until the eve of the Victory’s match against Perth Glory to decide whether to start Archie Thompson.
Striker Thompson made his comeback from a serious knee injury as a substitute in the Victory’s 1-0 loss to Gold Coast last Saturday.
“We’ll make a decision pretty well the day before the match,” Merrick said ahead of Sunday’s encounter with the out-of-form Glory.
“Archie says he has come up (from the Gold Coast game) feeling really well and he’s trained hard all week.”
“But obviously it’s a frenetic pace from kick-off, and whether it’s a better option to go on when the pace of the game is off in the second half is the thing we’ll discuss.”
“I am leaning towards the second half when the intensity is off the game.”
Merrick said Sunday’s match at nib Stadium presented a chance for his side to end their poor record across the Nullarbor, where they have suffered five defeats against the Glory in eight trips to Perth.
He expects the Glory, who have lost nine of their past 10 games following Wednesday night’s 2-0 loss to Adelaide, will be be desperate to get back on the winners list.
“It has not been a happy hunting ground for us over in Perth and I know it will be a tough game because of them losing (on Wednesday night),” Merrick said.
Victory again will be tested for depth in attack with strikers Ricardinho (knee), Mate Dugandzic (groin) and now Robbie Kruse all out injured.
Winger Geoff Kellaway comes in to replace Kruse, who has torn a quadriceps muscle, Merrick saying Kellaway’s versatility will help cover the missing strikers.
“He was one those players you can play as a wide player or you can play him centrally up front,” Merrick said of Kellaway.
“Although he is still adjusting to the team he always seems to get his shots off and he’s a worker for the team and he is very fast.”
