The second and final Westfield W-League Melbourne derby for the season promises to be hotly contested and well worth the price of admission.
Over the past two seasons, Melbourne Victory have never had a better chance of outdoing their big-name cross-town rivals.
How times have changed for champions Melbourne City over recent times. Midfielder Jess Fishlock recently assumed the coaching reins after Joe Montemurro’s move to a fulltime role with the club’s Hyundai A-League side.
And, after an 18-match unbeaten streak, City have somehow contrived to remain winless in the past five matches.
City comfortably won 3-0 earlier in the season in the most recent derby. They also won both matches last season in their maiden campaign.
Two weeks ago, the Victory won their maiden match of the season. It was well overdue for a side playing some quality football, and one that has had its fair share of injury concerns.
The Victory let slip a golden opportunity to record a famous win last weekend only for Perth Glory to secure a late come-from-behind 3-2 win.
“I saw a real positive reaction from them in training,” said Victory coach Jeff Hopkins. “Again, we had a really positive meeting after the game.
“We watched the highlights, we reviewed the game and the players had a fair bit to say. You could tell they were hurting.”
In Natasha Dowie , the Victory boast an in-form goalscorer who remains in the hunt for the Westfield W-League Golden Boot, having scored eight goals in 10 games this season.
This derby has all the ingredients for some rich tasting fare.
Melbourne Victory v Melbourne City
Sunday 15 January 2017
Venue: Epping Stadium
Kick-Off: 4:00PM (Local) (4:00PM (AEDT))
Referee: Casey Reibelt
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Melbourne Victory squad: 1.Bianca HENNINGER (gk), 2.Alexandra NATOLI, 3.Alex CHEAL, 5.Alexandra GUMMER, 6.Annabel MARTIN, 7.Lia PRIVITELLI, 8.Ayesha NORRIE, 9.Natasha DOWIE, 10.Christine NAIRN (c), 11.MelindaJ BARBIERI, 13.Laura SPIRANOVIC, 15.Adriana TARANTO, 16.Samantha JOHNSON, 17.Gulcan KOCA, 19.Rachel ALONSO, 20.Bethany MASON-JONES (gk), 25.Kariah WHITE **two to be omitted**
Ins: 3.Alex CHEAL (promoted), 19.Rachel ALONSO (promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 4.Melissa TARANTO (knee – season), 14.Selin KURALAY (knee – season)
Melbourne City squad: 1.Lydia WILLIAMS (gk), 2.Teigen ALLEN, 3.Lauren BARNES, 5.Laura ALLEWAY, 6.Aivi LUIK, 7.Steph CATLEY (c), 9.Larissa CRUMMER, 10.Jessica FISHLOCK, 11.Erika TYMRAK, 13.Rebekah STOTT, 14.Melina AYRES, 15.Amy JACKSON, 16.Beverly YANEZ, 17.Marianna TABAIN, 18.Jacynta GALABADAARACHCHI, 19.Tyla-Jay VLAJNIC, 20.Emily SHIELDS (gk) **two to be omitted**
Ins: 2.Teigen ALLEN (promoted), 18.Jacynta GALABADAARACHCHI (promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: Nil
