Melbourne City FC will be looking to continue its unbeaten start to life in the AFC Champions League this Sunday night.
In a quirk to the current Group Stage hub schedule, City will be taking on Jeonnam Dragons, the same opponent it defeated 2-1 in its last fixture in the early hours of Friday morning (AEST).
You can watch all City ACL games live via 10play or Paramount+!
Patrick Kisnorbo’s team was certainly made to work hard for the three points against the South Korean outfit, getting the job done despite only recording two shots on target.
City dominated the early possession and didn’t take long to find the opener, with Carl Jenkinson finding the back of the net via the inside of the post with a 12th minute strike.
The lead was short lived, however, with a deflected Dragons shot off Nuno Reis beating Tom Glover at his near post just minutes later.
A high-scoring affair seemed to be on the cards when Andrew Nabbout restored City’s advantage with his second of the tournament in the 22nd, but that would be the final goal of the match.
While it found clear-cut attacking chances hard to come by for the remainder of the game, City was resolute in defence with Glover pulling off a few important second half saves.
Haven’t played each other so recently, it’ll be an interesting preparation for Sunday night’s fixture, even more so given the fiery nature of Friday’s contest.
The coming re-match is shaping up as a must win for the Dragons if they are any chance to qualify for the knockouts, who now sit on one win and two losses midway through the tournament.
Kisnorbo praised his team’s efforts and given it appeared to shift to a more defensive mindset later on, the gaffer may well have been keeping a few cards up his sleeve in preparation for Sunday…
Playing, training and living in trying conditions in Bangkok with very little time to recover and prepare between games, squad rotation has been a key theme of City’s line-ups throughout it’s first three ACL fixtures, and will likely be the case again on Sunday.
Connor Metcalfe could be in line for a start after playing half an hour of the bench last time out, while City fans will be hoping to see Mathew Leckie return to the fold after missing the team’s last two fixtures with a minor groin injury.
Match Details
AFC Champions League Group Stage: Matchday 4
Jeonnam Dragons v Melbourne City FC
Sunday 24 April, 9:00pm kick-off (AEST)
Phatum Thani Stadium
Live on 10play/Paramount+
