Melbourne Victory skipper Mark Milligan says his side will be looking to bounce back after their 1-0 loss to Brisbane Roar and build momentum heading into the Hyundai A-League Finals.
The Victory skipper also felt last week’s away game in Brisbane was especially tough facing a quality Roar line-up, but was delighted with how the team defended overall.
“Defensively we were very good as we’ve been over the last few weeks,” he said.
“Away games are always tough and going to Suncorp [Stadium] especially, [Brisbane] have been outstanding this year – so it’s tough going there,” he said.
“We knew it was going to be a bit of a grind but I think we’ll take a lot of confidence from our defensive efforts especially, but we also have a lot of potency going forward.”
It was hard for the squad to digest Luke Brattan’s last gasp winner, but Milligan wants his team to re-focus and finish the season strongly, beginning with a win in their final home game against Sydney FC.
“There’s three very important games for ourselves coming up, which is what we have control over,” Milligan said.
“We need to make sure that we win these last three [games] and then hopefully as everything else goes our way as well, then we’ll be close [to finishing in second place].
“But obviously, those games don’t really matter if we don’t put it all together this weekend and bounce back from the defeat at Suncorp [Stadium].
Victory’s run home certainly won’t be a walk in the park with tough trips to Newcastle and Wellington ahead but Milligan reiterated that they have travelled well recently and will draw confidence from that heading into the end of the season.
“We have to view every game as a potential three points. It’s going to be very difficult,” he said.
“It’s always hard going to Newcastle. Obviously they have been doing well, especially on the weekend, so they’ll be full of confidence this week.
“It’s not going to be easy for us, especially when you throw in the Champions League games and a little bit of travel, but we’ve handled the load quite well over the last month and I think if anything we’ve taken a lot of confidence from our travels away in the Champions League.”
With the Victory caught in the middle of a tight log-jam in the A-League ladder, their upcoming fixtures remain the defining factor between a second-placed finish or missing out on finals altogether.
“If we don’t put in a good performance and get a good result, it can become extremely tough for us. If we do – then we’re looking at the best-case scenario,” he said.
“It’s massive.
“This week’s been very much about first and foremost ourselves getting the chance to have a full week’s training, a little bit of recovery as well so we’re the best nick possible for this weekend.”
Saturday night’s fixture could also be world football icon Alessandro Del Piero’s last trip to Melbourne, but Milligan is adamant Victory would not put a sole focus on their iconic striker.
“[Del Piero] has been a massive drawcard for the A-League but I don’t think we’ll be too concerned about him this weekend,” he said.
“I think it’s more exciting for us at the moment that we’ve got the potential to do great things this season and that’s what our focus would be.
“If we go into the game focusing on him, that’s when we’re going to get hurt, they’re going to be looking to bounce back and get some good results.
“Everyone’s still in the mix so I think our best chance of being successful from now until the end of the year is to make sure that we do our due diligence on [Sydney] but we do what we do and we do it well.
Melbourne Victory will face Sydney FC at AAMI Park on Saturday March 29 with kick-off scheduled for 7:45pm.