Melbourne Victory captain Roderick Miranda will sit out the first leg of his side’s Semi-Final tie with Auckland FC after suffering a leg injury in the build-up to Saturday night’s clash at AAMI Park.
Described as a “late withdrawal” from the squad by the club, Miranda – who has made 26 appearances for Victory this season – has been replaced by Brendan Hamill in head coach Arthur Diles’ starting XI for the Semi-Final first leg.
Hamill will captain Victory in Miranda’s absence.
Pre-game, Diles explained Miranda’s exclusion from the matchday squad was due to an injury picked up in training on Friday.
“He picked up a knock yesterday at training and unfortunately wasn’t up for the game today,” Diles told Network 10.
“(Hamill) comes in, which is a luxury for us. It’s a great replacement.”
Auckland, meanwhile, have named a strong starting XI ahead of the club’s very first Finals Series fixture. The Black Knights won the Premiership under head coach Steve Corica in the club’s first season in the league.
Victory host Saturday night’s Semi-Final at AAMI Park after defeating Western Sydney Wanderers 2-1 in last weekend’s Elimination Final.
The 7.35pm AEST kick-off will be broadcast live on 10 Play, 10 BOLD and Paramount+,
Melbourne Victory v Auckland FC
Saturday, May 17 – AAMI Park – 7.35pm AEST
