After a great run of results – five victories in a row including the entertaining 3-2 win over their city rivaly – Melbourne Heart have been brought back down to earth, picking up just three points from a possible eighteen.
The timing of this slump in form coincides with the loss of defender Adrian Madaschi and it’s no coincidence. His form, experience and leadership have been sorely missed and has left manager John Van’t Schip to rely on several less experienced players to lead the backline.
Further, injury prone Simon Colosimo has spent more time on the sidelines than the pitch this season, struggling to shrug off injury concerns. The former Sydney FC defender is not the only one that has spent most of his time in the medical rooms, with captain and former Victory star Fred continuing to battle niggling injuries and he is doubtful for the derby following a groin injury.
A new addition to the list of injuries is midfielder Matt Thompsom, ruled out for up to a month with a knee injury. It’s a huge blow for Van’t Schip as Thompson played a pivotal role in the last derby win with his two goals helping the Heart defeat their rivals 3-2.
The problems however don’t stop there. The red side of Melbourne will also miss the young trio of Aziz Behich, Mate Dugandzic and Jason Hoffman who have been called up for Australian U23 duties. Behich, who has been in excellent form this season, is particularly a big loss for the Heart and it leaves Van’t Schip with a rather large selection headache.
Former Adelaide man Paul Reid is tipped to start in midfield, while Craig Goodwin might be called up from the youth team although he’ll most likely have to settle for the bench.
Melbourne Heart currently sit fifth, five points ahead of Victory with their position in the top six confirmed for at least another two weeks. A win over there cross town rivals will further dent Kewell and company’s chances of making an appearance in the finals series come April.
Victory therefore have much more to lose in this clash. After conceding another late goal last week, this time against cellar dwellars Gold Coast United, Jim Magilton will make sure his squad are well prepared and will no doubt be praying they leave AAMI Park with nothing less than three points.
With both teams struggling for form at the moment and Heart entering the contest with a multitude of key players missing, it is safe to say the neutral fan of the game will look to experience and depth within the squad and back a Melbourne Victory win. My prediction however is that Heart will snipe a 2-1 win; a supporter will never bet against his side.
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