Melbourne Victory head coach Arthur Diles admits it’s still too early to tell whether or not winger Nishan Velupillay will be fit enough to play in this weekend’s Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final.
The 24-year-old forward was seen walking on crutches while wearing a protective moon boot earlier this week after suffering an ankle injury in the first-half of Saturday’s 2-0 semi-final second leg win over Auckland FC.
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Asked whether or not his Socceroos forward will be fit enough to take part in this weekend’s blockbuster Melbourne Derby Grand Final, Diles says the club will give him every opportunity to take part.
“We’re not sure yet. It’s still early,” said Diles when speaking at Wednesday’s Grand Final press conference at AAMI Park.
“We’ll give him until the 11th Hour, and we’ll make that decision on Friday. But at this stage, it’s probably 50-50.
“He’s walking better, but its one thing to walk and another thing to be up for a final.
“But in terms of general walking, yeah, he’s better, significant improvement in that regard. But yeah, it’s still way too early to have a clear indication.”
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One of three players to have scored seven league goals for Victory this season, Velupillay has also contributed four assists in what’s been an impressive campaign for the wide forward.
Meanwhile, number one goalkeeper Mitch Langerak also remains under an injury cloud heading into Saturday’s decider.
The 36-year-old missed both legs of the semi-final clash with Auckland FC due to a foot injury and is racing the clock to be fit for the game against City.
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“He did a little bit yesterday. He did a little bit more today. We’ll see tomorrow how he pulls up, because it’ll be the first time he’s done two days back back to back,” Diles said.
“So it’ll be a big test for him and then, again, he’s one of those ones who we put in that bracket of wait and see.”
There was more positive news regarding the fitness levels of defenders Kasey Bos and Adama Traore.
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Bos missed out on the semi-final second leg against Auckland after suffering a foot injury in the first leg at AAMI Park while Traore has been struggling with a calf injury.
“Yeah, they’re looking good, actually. So that’s a nice bit of news, that they’re in a much better position than we anticipated last week.
“So if it keeps going like this, come Friday I think they’ll be up for selection.”
