In light of the Socceroos’ resounding 4-0 win against Vietnam on Thursday night, you would be forgiven for forgetting that there is A-League Men’s action this weekend.
Given the fixture chaos over the past few weeks, Western United come into Saturday’s match both a game and point behind their opponents Melbourne City.
With the Socceroos squad containing four City regulars, some fans may consider it an ‘easy’ game for the green and black.
However, it would be remiss for John Aloisi’s side to count out a side missing arguably four of their best 11 players.
Jamie Maclaren, Mathew Leckie, Connor Metcalfe and Marco Tilio have all been selected for national team duty in matches against Vietnam and Oman. For Aloisi’s side, none of his players were called-up.
This may of course change later in the season if Josh Risdon is able to maintain his strong start to the campaign.
Speaking on the under-strength City side ahead of this Saturday’s crucial game, Aloisi was quick to reflect on what happened last season.
Missing Maclaren, Metcalfe and Curtis Good, City were able to still win the double with strong performances from younger players.
“Every time you play against City it’s going to be a tough game, no matter who is playing. We saw that last year in the grand final when they were missing their national team players,” Aloisi said.
“Anytime we play against them we know that it’s going to be tough, but we believe that if we play our best that we can get the result that we want.
“They have good players coming into the squad and we know that they won’t change their structure. We’ve worked on that all week and we’re ready for the game.”
It will be Western’s first game back in Melbourne since Boxing Day and no better opportunity for Nikolai Topor-Stanley to celebrate his 350th game in front of friends and family.
The central defender has had a stellar career with the likes of Sydney FC, Perth Glory, Newcastle Jets and Western Sydney Wanderers, before making the move to Western United at the start of this season.
Throw in a stint in the United Arab Emirates, as well as four caps for the Socceroos, and Topor-Stanley has a wealth of experience.
If nothing else, the positive of Tomoki Imai missing the match because of suspension, is that it means Topor-Stanley is able to start.
“Nico will slot into the centre of defence.” Aloisi confirmed.
“He’s been great whenever we’ve called upon him. He’s got so much experience obviously with 350 games under his belt.
“He’s still very quick and someone that isn’t only good on the pitch, but he’s also great off the pitch helping the younger players. It’s important to have these players drive the culture and set the foundations of the football club. And Nikolai has definitely done that.
“He’ll be ready and focused on performing well and then maybe celebrating with the kids on the pitch after the game.”
As the green and black continue to make a push up the table this season, that experience may just prove crucial.
There is a great balance between veterans and youth at the Tarneit-based side, and it will be important to maintain it in light of all the Covid-related disruptions this season.
If anyone can suppress their emotions until post-match or even post-season, there’s no doubt it’s Topor-Stanley.
Hopefully for Western, those emotions will be positive after a big win against their local rivals.
Feature Image: Sproule Sports Focus
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