It is almost go time for last season’s Grand Finalists Melbourne Victory in the Isuzu UTE A-League. On October 18, reigning premiers Auckland FC come to town for a blockbuster Round 1 showdown.
Looking at Victory’s form and the four-time champions appear primed to go one-step further in 2025-26.
Victory wrapped up their pre-season preparations with a 3-0 win over rivals Adelaide United in Mildura on Saturday – a charity fundraiser match, with all proceeds benefitting the Mildura Base Public Hospital.
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Against an Adelaide side missing several senior players, including new signings Anselmo de Moraes and Juan Muñiz, Arthur Diles outfit proved too strong thanks to a devastating 16 minutes to start the contest, with Kayne Razmovski, Greek striker Nikos Vergos and Keegan Jelacic on target.
Their starting XI featured goalkeeper Jack Duncan, captain Roderick Miranda, returning Socceroos pair Jason Davidson and Denis Genreau, Lachlan Jackson, Victory medallist Jordi Valadon, Vergos, Brazilian Santos, former Adelaide star Louis D’Arrigo, Jelacic and Razmovski. Meanwhile, Socceroo Nishan Velupillay, Adama Traore, Jing Reec, Joshua Rawlins, and youngsters Oliver Dragicevic, Malik Olukhale, Xavier Stella and George Mihailidis came off the bench.
Victory now head into that opening-round date with Auckland amid a five-game winning streak following their Australia Cup Round-of-32 exit, having scored 15 goals while conceding just once. Their last three matches have seen the club keep clean sheets against Isuzu UTE A-League opponents Perth Glory and Adelaide.
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“It’s a difficult task. Every year it is and there’s a lot of teams playing for that and with the same objective,” Victory head coach Arthur Diles told reporters pre-match as the Melbourne club look to end a run of back-to-back Grand Finals without a trophy.
“For us, those are the games we want to be playing in every year. That’s where we feel we belong as a club.
“But we don’t take that granted. We know there’s a lot of hard work that goes into reaching those milestones and goals.
“This season is no different to any other season. There the games we want to play in, that’s where we want to be at the end of the season.”
A lot has changed since the Grand Final loss to rivals Melbourne City, on and off the pitch after surged all the way from fifth position to the 2025 showpiece having boasted the third-best defence in the competition though they scored the second-fewest goals among the top-six teams.
A-Leagues icon Bruno Fornaroli retired from professional football along with Socceroo Mitch Langerak, while Ryan Teague, Kasey Bos and Daniel Arzani earned moves abroad.
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Teague and Bos left notable holes in Victory’s XI, but they have been active in the transfer market while retaining Velupillay and Co.
When it comes to filling the Teague void, there is star recruit Denis Genreau, who is back in Australia with a point to prove. The Socceroo is back Down Under from Spanish second-tier side Deportivo La Coruna, having helped Toulouse clinch promotion to Ligue 1 in 2021-22, while he was part of the squad that won the 2022-23 Coupe de France – the club’s first.
The 26-year-old looms as the prime candidate to team up with Victory Medallist Jordi Valadon.
Valadon has cemented himself as a bona fine star in this Victory team, after playing a key role in consecutive Grand Final runs. He is also emerging as the next Australian star to keep an eye on amid mounting interest in local talent from abroad.
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He quietly became one of Victory’s most important players. Now, talk around Valadon’s growing louder and the 22-year-old will again be vital to how the club perform under Diles.
It is not just Genreau added to the mix in 2025-26. There is FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions League winner Juan Mata, who often operates higher up the pitch but can sit deeper, as well as D’Arrigo and talented Aussie Matthew Grimaldi.
When looking to the left-back position after academy graduate Bos’ big switch to Bundesliga outfit Mainz, there are a couple of impressive options. From returning Socceroo Davidson to Franco Lino, who is back at Victory on loan from Norwegian outfit FK Viking following 18 months abroad.
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“It’s been a busy off-season with a lot of departures, hence why a lot of players have had to come in,” Diles said.
“We’re really happy with the players we’ve retained. We’re really happy with the players we’ve brought in.
“Now it’s about making sure we put that puzzle together when the season starts.”
As for Adelaide, Reds head coach Airton Andrioli insisted his side learnt plenty from their Mildura camp.
Adelaide’s line-up against Victory featured Joshua Smits, Ryan Kitto, Feyzo Kasumovic, Sotiri Phillis, Dylan Pierias, Luke Duzel, Ethan Alagich, Panashe Madanha, Austin Ayoubi, Yaya Dukuly and Craig Goodwin.
“It wasn’t easy for the likes of Sotiri [Phillis] and Feyzo [Kasumovic] to line up in defence against strong opposition, but they will learn from it,” Andrioli said. “Giving young players these opportunities is part of our philosophy, and they will only grow from experiences like this.”
Adelaide will host rivals Sydney FC on October 17.
He continued: “We’ve had a long pre-season but haven’t had the chance to play the same team consistently. A number of senior players are away or returning from injury, and Juan Muñiz only arrived (Friday) Once we get everyone back in, the squad will settle, and we’ll be ready for Round 1.”
