It’s been almost a full month since these bitter rivals met and now circumstances have completely changed.
The A-League’s hiatus for the Asian Cup has given the coaches time to reassess game plan and players to rehabilitate, meaning there’s no real way to predict this derby’s result.
Last time they played each other Melbourne City stole a 1-0 win from an in-form Melbourne Victory but the October 5-2 thrashing in October left a lasting impact on City.
Now, both Victory coach Kevin Muscat and City coach John van Schip have to prepare for anything and everything if the derby track record is anything to go by.
In terms of results, Melbourne City was the only one of the two to secure a win last week, but Melbourne Victory respectably earned a 3-3 draw with League leaders Perth Glory.
City battled against Western Sydney Wanderers on Sunday, with Jacob Melling scoring and former Wanderer Aaron Mooy grabbing the winner against his old side at the match’s tail end.
City’s win has placed it sixth on the table and a huge seven points from Brisbane Roar’s seventh, giving them a clean chance for finals berth.
Melbourne Victory on the other hand don’t have much to worry about. On equal points with second placed Adelaide United, their position in the top three is pretty secure considering their next couple of fixtures are pretty kind.
Muscat has made two additions to his squad for today, adding Archie Thompson and Scott Galloway to the ranks. Sadly Captain Mark Milligan who returns from Socceroos duty is still serving a suspension and won’t be starting.
