Perth Glory boss Tony Popovic has confirmed striker Andy Keogh will miss Tuesday’s FFA Cup clash against Melbourne Victory but believes his squad is in a ‘good place’ ahead of his first competitive match in charge.
Keogh is battling an ankle injury and won’t be risked for the Round of 32 tie against the Hyundai A-League champions at Dorrien Gardens.
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While the Irishman won’t play, Spanish stars Diego Castro and Juande are likely to feature after starting the club’s 5-2 win over the WA State Team on Wednesday night.
“In terms of injuries, we should have everyone available except for Andy Keogh,” said Popovic when asked about his squad for the Victory clash.
“But everyone’s at different levels, so we’ll see how they all pull up after thegame and the more selection headaches I have, the better.
“It was the first time that Diego and Juande have started in a match, so they’re not quite match fit, but it was good for them to get to know the other players and what we’re expecting and they will only get better as they are both quality players.
“It was pleasing to see Diego out there doing his thing.”
In Glory’s final hitout before facing Victory, they were too classy for the State Team, with Jason Davidson, Castro, Jake Brimmer, Yagoub Mustafa and Chris Harold all finding the net.
And Popovic was pleased with the way his charges applied themselves on a wet and windy night at Inglewood’s Perth Plasterboard Centre Stadium.
“It was another good hit-out and a good test to play in those terrible conditions,” he said.
“We got to give a lot of young players a chance to get some first-team minutes which was a new experience for a lot of them and I’m sure they’ll learn from it.
“I was pleased with the kind of goals we scored and now it’s a case of getting those actions happening more regularly. That’s the challenge we have.
“It’s a work in progress and we’re constantly improving. We’ve still got a lot of work to do, but there were a lot of pleasing aspects tonight and some good actions.
“The goal is obviously October, but now we’ve got the game against Victory which will be a big test and we’ll go into it in the best shape that we possibly can be given the short amount of time that we’ve all been together.
“We’re in a good place to put on a good performance next week.”
