Melbourne Victory midfielder Mitch Nichols has welcomed the challenge of coming up against his former club when the Victory host Brisbane Roar on Friday night.
Melbourne Victory midfielder Mitch Nichols has welcomed the challenge of coming up against his former club when the Victory host Brisbane Roar on Friday night. The 24-year-old revealed he-s been in touch with some of his former teammates and expects the match at Etihad Stadium to be an enterprising affair.
“It’s going to be a bit of fun, I’ve already copped a few text messages so I’m really looking forward to it,” said Nichols.
“It-s going to be a big game, Brisbane is going to come out and play which will be good for us and I think it is going to be really exciting for the fans.”
Both sides will go into the match undefeated this season, but while the Roar sit top with back-to-back wins, the Victory have only managed two draws in the opening two rounds. Nichols said his side were disappointed not to beat Adelaide last weekend but were confident of carrying their strong finish to the game into their next match.
“It was disappointing to get a couple of (poor) decisions from the referee but the boys put that aside and really fought back. If we-d taken our chances we probably could-ve got the three points.
“If we put in that second half performance I think we can get the three points this weekend.
“Brisbane look good, they-re going to be up for it, if we play the way we can I think it-s going to be a good game. I think it-s been a good two games but there-s a long way to go.”
Nichols was happy with his performances so far this season in the blue and white but felt he would only improve as the season progresses. The Victory No.15 also praised the influence of coach Ange Postecoglou on his career.
“I feel I-ve played my part in the team but can probably add a bit more,” said Nichols. “He (Postecoglou) was probably the main reason (I moved down here).
“I knew what he was about in Brisbane and what he could do for me. So I thought it was the best decision for me if I needed a change.”
Amid the speculation linking Postecoglou with the Socceroos job, Nichols, who has been capped four times for Australia, was hopeful he could work his way back into the national reckoning whoever the new coach should be.
“The boys have been joking that I-ll be first on the plane to the World Cup,” said Nichols. “For me, the Socceroos is about if I-m playing well.
“Whoever the coach is, if I-m doing my job for my club then I can be picked, it-ll come down to the coach.”
Nichols was adamant Postecoglou’s expected transition to the Socceroos coaching post would not act as a distraction to the team ahead of their clash with the Roar. He was confident Victory had the structures in place to deal with the anticipated departure and would rise to the occasion this weekend.
“We-re just focusing on Friday night against Brisbane, getting our first three points of the year and putting in a good performance in front of our home crowd.”
