It’s shaping up to be one of the biggest showdowns of the year! There’ll be plenty more but see the top five things we are looking forward to ahead of the Melbourne Derby.
Three in a row?
We’re two from two in the Derbies this season and Saturday gives us the chance to make it three.
It’s not often we come into the Christmas Derby with two wins against Victory on the board. A rousing Round 2 win at Etihad Stadium and a special FFA Cup Semi Final has seen us go unbeaten in the Derby throughout 2016, including 2015/16’s 2-2 draw at AAMI Park.
We’ve already taken out all three Melbourne Derbies in the men’s, women’s and youth competitions and Saturday night could cap off a brilliant year for the Club.
Battleground
AAMI Park will be a battleground on Saturday night with plenty of head to head battles that will make or break the contest.
From the front to the back, we are matched up very evenly with our opponents and have similar threats and strengths all over the park. One of the battles that intrigues us the most is the contest between Michael Jakobsen and Besart Berisha.
The Victory forward has played his way back into form over the past fortnight and the battle between the two in their last encounter may mean fireworks this time around.
There will be a plethora of other battles around the ground but we feel this will be one of the important ones as we look to stall our inform opponents.
Familiar surroundings
There is no doubt the advantage of playing in the familiar surroundings of AAMI Park will be important on Saturday night.
We’re unbeaten in our last five Derbies at the ground with our last loss coming in the Christmas Derby of the 2013/14 season. Playing every match at AAMI Park does play its role in the home ground advantage and we think Saturday night will be no different.
It’s one of the best grounds in Australia and AAMI Park is set for yet another blockbuster contest on Saturday
It’s all on the line
As we’ve built to this stage of the season, it is well and truly all on the line now in our race to the summit.
The second vs third encounter has implications across the board. Not only will a win maintain pressure on league leaders Sydney but it will create some important breathing space with Victory’s game in hand against Wellington.
Is this match a make or break match? Maybe not, but it will go a long way in determining the direction of our second third of the season.
Derby days
We’ve been spoiled so far this season but we don’t get sick of it, there is nothing like Derby days in Melbourne!
The colour and atmosphere of the match always makes it the biggest show in town and there is no way you can miss the contest. No matter which side of Melbourne you support, all eyes will be on AAMI Park on Saturday and we can’t wait for that first whistle to blow.
Make sure you don’t miss the Melbourne Derby this Saturday night. Click here for tickets for the match or sign up for our 5 Match Membership below!
What you missed this week
