Fresh off a successful run of home games, Melbourne City heads to Auckland for a massive clash across the ditch this Saturday.
Building on our strong home form, the young City squad has an opportunity to create some breathing room at the top of the table in what promises to be a crucial away fixture.
Here are the key storylines:
THE YOUTH CONTINUE TO SHINE
A standout feature of our season so far has been the emergence of young talents, with a large majority coming through the City Academy.
While injuries have sidelined several key players for weeks, the silver lining has been the rise of exciting prospects.

Ben Mazzeo (19) and Harry Politidis (22) both found the net in back-to-back games during our recent home stretch, while Lawrence Wong (17) and Kavian Rahmani (18) earned their first professional starts.
Regular starters Medin Memeti (17) and Arion Sulemani (19) have impressed, while Mikey Ghossaini (17) and Ben Dunbar (18) have added energy and promise with impactful cameos off the bench.

This week, we welcome back one of the A-Leagues’ biggest names, Mathew Leckie.
While his experience will be invaluable, given the outstanding form of our young brigade and Leckie’s extended injury layoff, expect the youth to again be leading the charge on Saturday.
CAN OUR AWAY FORM CONTINUE?
Although it took time to hit our stride at home, our away form has been stellar since Round 1.
We secured wins on our first three trips out of Melbourne—defeating Newcastle, Perth, and Brisbane—before a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Central Coast in our most recent away outing.
Now, with the longest trip of the season ahead, Aurelio Vidmar’s squad will aim to maintain their momentum as we play away from home for the first time in 2025.
Coming off three consecutive wins, major changes to the starting XI seem unlikely. However, competition for spots remains fierce.
Vidmar has frequently rotated Sulemani and Memeti in attack, while Samuel Souprayen could return to the defence despite Germán Ferreyra’s strong showing last week when the Frenchman was rested.

THE START OF A SEASON-DEFINING RUN
Our three home games in just over a week proved pivotal as we climbed from mid-table to the summit. With a maximum nine points secured, our focus now shifts to the next critical block of fixtures.
Speaking pre-match, Vidmar emphasised the importance of the upcoming trio of away games, highlighting their potential to “set up our season.”
The run begins with Auckland (currently 3rd) and includes challenging trips to face Adelaide (2nd) and Macarthur (5th)—two direct rivals in the race for the top.
Positive results from these fixtures will set us up perfectly for the second half of the season, with key players like Leckie, Max Caputo, and Marco Tilio all closing in on returns.
FIXTURE DETAILS
A-League Men: Round 15
Auckland FC v Melbourne City FC
Saturday 18 January, 5:00pm KO (AEDT)
Go Media Stadium
Watch live on Paramount+
