Melbourne City is deep in preparations for just our second home fixture since January 11, set to return to AAMI Park for a primetime Friday night clash against Macarthur.
Head Coach Aurelio Vidmar spoke with media to preview what shapes up to be a crucial fixture.
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REFLECTIONS FROM THE WELLINGTON WIN
“We had a really good performance last week. It’s never an easy place to go to, so I was rapt that we got the result and everyone has pulled up well.
“We’ve trained well this week and have another important game tomorrow at home against a team a few points behind us trying to get into the six.
“All of our prep has gone well, and we are looking forward to tomorrow.”
INCLUSIONS TO THE SQUAD
“We’ll have Stevie Ugarkovic back in the squad. We’ll also have Yona[tan Cohen] back as well.
“We’ll give [Ale] Lopane another run with the Youth Team. He did well last week but got a knock on the thigh just after half time, so he played about 55 minutes.
“He’s pulled up well from that, so we’ll give him another run there. He scored a great goal and he’s doing well, so we’ll let him play this weekend and then have a look at him for a potential place in the squad on Wednesday.
“We’ve now almost just got just about everyone back, so it’s a massive headache for me but a good one to have. There’s a lot of competition for places, so that’s healthy.”
TILIO’S FORM
“He had a really good start to the pre-season, and then he had a little bit of a hiccup which set him back a bit, but because he had a really solid block early, that gave him a nice foundation.
“Unfortunately then he had the injury that took him a few weeks before he could get back in. He’s worked hard, he’s put himself in a good position and he’s an explosive player.
“We’ve all seen what he can do over the last couple of weeks. He still has a lot of upside, so hopefully touch wood he remains healthy because he’s going to be very, very valuable for us.”
AN IMPORTANT CLASH
“They’ve [Macarthur] still got a very deep squad. Guys that have come in have done well, and they’ve got a lot of handy players around the park.
“Since I’ve been here, we haven’t beaten them in three attempts, so that’s something that we’re looking to reverse.
“All we can do is prepare well and come into the game with the right mentality and the right attitude. That always will give us the best chance at getting a good result.”
