Inspirational skipper Carl Valeri is expected to return to Melbourne Victory’s side for Saturday night’s big Remembrance Round clash with Western Sydney Wanderers at Etihad Stadium.
Valeri has missed Victory’s last two games with hamstring soreness, which occurred during last month’s Westfield FFA Cup Semi Final against City.
The former Inter Milan, Grossetto and Sassuolo midfielder missed the 6-1 win over Wellington Phoenix in Round 4, followed by the 2-1 loss to Sydney FC at the weekend.
“I’ve ticked all the boxes and I’m feeling good. I want to get back amongst the boys, and I think it’s a good week to do that,” Valeri said on Tuesday morning.
“I ended up missing another week, but I think I’ll benefit in the long run.
“We push ourselves to the limit every day and we work pretty hard. These things happen. It’s better to miss a couple of weeks rather than six or seven.
“Whatever the boss wants me to do, I’ll do. Whether it be start on the bench or play 90 minutes, I’m ready.”
Valeri said Victory has been relatively pleased with its Hyundai A-League performances this season, although there are still plenty of improvements to be made.
The club sits in fifth position on the ladder with two wins, a draw and two losses from five games.
“You get rewarded for winning, but we judge ourselves on our performances, and they’ve been there,” he said.
“I think we’ve been playing some good football, bar one game. Eventually the results will come.
“But we have to do something extra. We know that, and we’re prepared to do it.
“We’ve got to build on it. I feel we have lapses in the game where we could cut them out or make them shorter. We can really improve.”
Victory will host the Wanderers as part of Remembrance Round at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night. Tickets are available here.
