Melbourne Victory’s Nick Ansell reflects on ACL success ahead of crucial Big...

Melbourne Victory’s Nick Ansell reflects on ACL success ahead of crucial Big Blue

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Melbourne Victory defender Nick Ansell says his team will hold the advantage over travelling Sydney FC when they meet on Saturday night at AAMI Park.

Sydney are currently returning from their match against Urawa in Saitama, where the Sky Blues fell 2-0 in their first AFC Asian Champions League game with a quick turnaround against Victory.

Kevin Muscat’s team also played its first Champions League match last night, claiming a stirring 2-1 win against Shanghai SIPG.

Ansell believes this is a golden opportunity to capitalise and for Victory to secure yet another win against their bitter foes having toppled the Sky Blues twice already this season.

READ MORE: Nick Ansell “privileged” to play alongside Matthieu Delpierre

“I think Sydney hate us to be honest so it’s always good to beat them,” Ansell said.

“Getting the last two’s been really good.

“They’re in Japan at the moment, they’ll probably be feeling a little bit worse than us, so we’re quite fortunate going into that game so that’s a bonus for us.”

Many rated Victory’s performance against Shanghai as their overall best game of the whole 2015-16 campaign. The game maintained a high level of intensity from the first whistle to last, providing a great spectacle for the neutrals.

Victory currently sit fifth on 29 points in the A-League, equal with Sydney on the table, making Saturday’s contest all the more vital ahead of the run home.

Ansell admitted at times this season, Victory had not been fully switched on, from which point they have often paid the price.


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“At the moment the ladders so tight, we can’t be slipping up games and we have slipped up a couple we should have won, that’s football and we really need to take these next games and get the wins,” he said.

“For me personally, the games last season, the teams we dominated against was the way we played last night, really intense high pressure and definitely works and suits us well.

“We definitely have to be patient with the ball like last night, you can’t be switching off at the back that’s for sure.”

Twenty-three-year-old Jai Ingham made his starting debut for the Victory after signing on from Hume City in January. Ingham managed to net his first goal following Ansell’s block on Elkeson’s shot, which fell gratefully to Oliver Bozanic, whose beautiful through ball found Ingham. Ingham, who had Archie Thompson free, elected to shoot rather than pass and it paid dividends.

Ansell, who maintains a close relationship with Ingham, reflected on the goal and joked about how he thought Ingham had made a blunder by shooting.

“I thought he might have lost the chance when he cut back inside,” Ansell joked.

“He did it really well to keep it low and get it past the keeper so it was a good goal.

“He was telling me the night before, ‘I just want to bag a couple’ first half I said ‘of course, go for it.

“I’m rapt for him, he’s been training really well lately as well so he got his chance and took it really well.”

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