Melbourne Victory attacker James Troisi is happy that the club have progressed to the next phase of the AFC Champions League, and is confident that Victory will be able to handle a demanding fixture list.
Having scored the equaliser in Victory’s 2-1 playoff win over Thai side Muangthong United, Troisi is thrilled the club have qualified for the group stages of the competition where they will face Guangzhou Evergrande (China), Yokohama F. Marinos (Japan) and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (South Korea).
“I think its fantastic for me and for the club,” Troisi said.
“It’s another six games guaranteed and it’s going to be a tough schedule.
“We’ve got a good group [of players] here, and even the ones that aren’t playing regularly are doing really well at training.”
Victory will play at least 14 games in the next nine weeks including travelling three times to East Asia, as well as once each to Brisbane, Perth, Newcastle and Wellington.
The hectic schedule doesn’t faze the club, and Troisi is sure that everyone is prepared for the tough run of games.
“It’s going to be difficult but we’ve got good depth,” he said.
“Everyone’s stepping up at training and they can really feel that it’s a big bonus for us to get into the [AFC] Champions League.
“I think it’s not going to be easy but we’ve got the background staff to – make sure we recover and rest, and do the right things to be fit for the games.”
The first of the big trips for the club will be to China, where they will face defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande next Wedneday night.
The current Chinese and continental title holders are coached by Marcello Lippi who coached Italy to World Cup glory in 2006, and boast a playing list that includes Chinese national captain Zheng Zhi and current Azzuri player Alessandro Diamanti.
Troisi holds the Italian international in high regard, having followed him closely in Italy’s Serie A last season.
“I watched him last season with Bologna, he’s a really good player,” Troisi said.
“It’s going to be tough. The whole group is tough, but we’re looking forward to that and we’re going to test ourselves as much as we can against the best team in Asia.”
The Victory attacking midfielder is currently experiencing a rich vein of form, currently sitting atop the A-League Golden Boot leaderboard with nine goals along with Stein Huysegems (Wellington Phoenix), David Williams (Melbourne Heart) and Adam Taggart (Newcastle Jets), and will be hoping to muscle his way into Ange Postecoglou’s Socceroos lineup ahead of this year’s World Cup.
“One of the main reasons [for] coming back here was to get into the Socceroos. It’s obviously in the back of my mind and every Australian player’s mind,” he said.
“Because I’m back scoring everyone thinks I’m back in form but for me I’ve been trying to do the same thing week in, week out.”
Melbourne Victory will welcome an in-form Adelaide United side to AAMI Park this Saturday as they look to leapfrog the Reds, who are equal third with the Victory, and book a spot in the A-League finals.