Melbourne Victory will seek an immediate response to their first Hyundai A-League defeat in more than two months when they host Newcastle Jets on Saturday evening.
The clash will be the second time the two sides have met following last season’s Grand Final, which Victory won 1-0 in Newcastle thanks to a Kosta Barbarouses goal.
And Kevin Muscat’s side will be hungry after going down 2-0 to Adelaide United on Wednesday evening.
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Keisuke Honda’s absence through injury has impacted Victory in recent weeks and they have won just one of their last four matches, form that has seen them lose ground on Hyundai A-League table-toppers Perth Glory.
This clash provides Victory with the chance to respond quickly, though, against a Jets side who sit seventh and are struggling for consistency.
Newcastle’s last fixture was in Victoria, too, the Jets taking an early lead before losing 2-1 at Melbourne City on Sunday.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=5986440270001
The Jets have not beaten Victory in Melbourne since a 1-0 success in April 2015.
Key Opta Stats
- Melbourne Victory have won their last three home matches against the Jets, scoring eight goals in that run
- Melbourne Victory have neither kept nor conceded a clean sheet in any of their last nine games at AAMI Park
- Dimitri Petratos has made 37 total shots from outside the box (inc. blocks) this campaign, 15 more than any other player
Ins and Outs
Melbourne Victory squad: 1.Matt ACTON (GK), 2.Storm ROUX, 3.Corey BROWN, 6.Leigh BROXHAM, 7.Kenny ATHIU, 8.Terry ANTONIS, 9.Kosta BARBAROUSES, 10.James TROISI, 11.Ola TOIVONEN, 13.Birkan KIRDAR, 14.Tommy DENG, 15.Raul BAENA, 16.Josh HOPE, 19.Rahmat AKBARI, 20.Lawrence THOMAS (GK), 21.Carl VALERI (C), 24.Elvis KAMSOBA, 25.Anthony LESIOTIS
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 13.Birkan KIRDAR (promoted), 25.Anthony LESIOTIS (promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: Jai INGHAM (quad – TBC), Keisuke HONDA (Hamstring – 4 weeks), Nick ANSELL (Hamstring – TBC), Georg NIEDERMEIER (Calf – TBC)
Newcastle Jets squad: 1.Glen MOSS (gk), 3.Jason HOFFMAN, 4.Nigel BOOGAARD (c), 6.Steven UGARKOVIC, 7.Dimi PETRATOS, 8.Jair, 9.Roy O’DONOVAN, 11.Mitch AUSTIN, 13.Ivan VUJICA, 14.Kaine SHEPPARD, 16.Nick COWBURN, 17.Daniel GEORGIEVSKI, 18.Johnny KOUTROUMBIS, 20.Lewis ITALIANO (gk), 22.Lachlan JACKSON, 23.Matthew RIDENTON, 32.Angus THURGATE, 44.Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 1.Glen MOSS (gk) (return from injury), 11.Mitch AUSTIN (promoted), 13.Ivan VUJICA (promoted), 32.Angus THURGATE (promoted)
Outs: 10.Ronald VARGAS (suspension – 1 week), 40.Noah JAMES (gk) (not selected)
Unavailable: 5.Ben KANTAROVSKI (groin – 4 weeks), 24.Joe CHAMPNESS (foot – TBC)
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=5987458120001
How to watch
Tune in to 10 Bold to watch the Victory-Jets clash LIVE and FREE from 7:50pm (AEDT). You can also watch on FOX SPORTS 505 or stream the match on the MyFootball Live App, which is live, fast and data-free for Telstra mobile customers.
Tickets
Be there as Victory face the Jets. Buy your ticket here.