Melbourne Victory will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing draw with Newcastle when they host Western Sydney on Good Friday.
Victory’s lucky escape against Newcastle
Victory looked uninspiring and slow on their feet even after Newcastle went a man down, emulating their performance against Brisbane the week prior and proving it was not just the quality of the Roar, but more so the lack of quality from Kevin Muscat’s men. Whether it is the side crumbling under the pressure, issues within the squad (which surfaced for a short period after the announcement of the side’s AFC Champions League squad and its prominent omissions) or the strain on Victory’s depth and durability – it is hard to tell. Regardless, Muscat has to fix the rot if they are to confidently hold onto a finals place.
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Western Sydney’s poor form in Victoria
While Western Sydney head into the Good Friday fixture the better placed of the two sides, their form in Victoria is cause for concern. Tony Popovic’s men have won only two of their last eight trips south against both Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City, and neither of those were registered against Muscat’s men. Additionally, the league leaders have lost four of their last six against the Victory (at all venues), picking up a total of just two points in that period. It is not all doom and gloom though, with the Wanderers firmly in better form, and still managing to make an impact of sorts in Melbourne, managing a third of the points available away against the Victory and managing half of their goals in this fixture on away turf.
CrownBet match odds at time of publishing
Can Melbourne afford to drop points?
Melbourne have picked up just four wins since the turn of the New Year (1-0 over Newcastle, 4-0 over Brisbane, 1-0 to Sydney FC and 2-0 over the Central Coast), and have dropped a massive 19 points. As a result, they have fallen well and truly off the pace of those above them. After dropping points against the Jets, Muscat’s men have no choice but to solidify their finals intentions and pick up momentum this round, particularly ahead of the final two rounds against Wellington, who have beaten top sides in recent weeks and won 2-0 over Victory in their most recent meeting, and Brisbane, who delivered that comprehensive defeat just two rounds ago. While Sydney FC look all but out of the finals realistically, they are only three points behind the Victorians and could pull off a miracle.
*CrownBet match odds at time of publishing are subject to change
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