Melbourne Heart will be hoping to capitalise on their purple patch of form when they face Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park, with the team in red looking to secure their sixth win in seven matches.
They will however be without suspended defenders Patrick Gerhardt and Aziz Behich, with head coach John van ‘t Schip not too concerned about the possibility of an unsettled defence.
“The whole team defends, the whole team attacks, so we have to help each other,” van ‘t Schip said.
“It’s not that I’m only focusing on defence or only focusing on attack, I’m focusing on the whole team.
“If one player has to be replaced then I’m confident that the other player who comes in will do a good job.
“We have shown that the subs that are coming in are helping us – so I’m not afraid of who has to play maybe for other players, the competition in the team is very close.”
In news that will excite Melbourne Heart fans, Harry Kewell trained with the rest of his teammates and is a chance to make a return to the team sheet, with Rob Wielaert also back from suspension.
van ‘t Schip remained tight-lipped on whether the 35-year-old (who missed two games with a toe injury) would be included in the starting lineup to face Melbourne Victory but did not rule out a return from the bench for Kewell.
“He’s certainly in consideration for being in the game tomorrow,” van ‘t Schip said.
“We’ll decide [if he starts] tomorrow, but it’s good to have him back. He’s important for the group, he’s important with his experience, he can lift the game, lift other players.
“We’ve seen the impact he’s had in the games that he’s played and we’re happy that he’s feeling OK again.”
Their opponents in navy blue are coming off two big domestic wins along with AFC Asian Champions League qualification and a strong display against Chinese powerhouse Guangzhou Evergrande midweek.
Despite their position on the table, Melbourne Heart are the current form side in the competition, capped off by a stunning 1-0 upset over ladder leaders Brisbane Roar last week.
This instalment of the Melbourne derby is shaping up as the biggest derby in A-League history but van ‘t Schip downplayed any fanfare over the clash.
“Every derby is big. We’ve had a few big derbies that we’ve played,” he said.
“And we’re still at the bottom of the table, they’re at the top or almost at the top of the table.
“For us it’s an important game, as it is for them, so we’ll just try to approach it and prepare as good as we can.”
Melbourne Heart take on Melbourne Victory in what promises to be a rocking AAMI Park. Kick-off for tonights clash is scheduled for 7:45pm.