The opening fixture of the 2015/16 A-League season for the Melbourne Victory promises to be a pulsating one, with the side travelling to South Australia to face arch rivals Adelaide United at the Adelaide Oval in front of an expected crowd of more than 40,000 fans.
Following on from an FFA Cup fixture last month, which saw Victory dispatch United 3-1, the home side will be looking for revenge in their first league outing of the season.
Melbourne make the trip to Adelaide with most of the core squad from last season, however youth players Lucas Spinella and George Howard – who turned 19 yesterday – have signed professional contracts alongside former NYL captain Thomas Deng.
Off the park, championship winning assistant coach Jean-Paul de Marigny has left to take up the same role at the Jets, with ex-Brisbane assistant Rado Vidosic now Kevin Muscat’s right-hand man.
Connor Pain, Scott Galloway, Giancarlo Gallifuoco and Jason Geria are all on duty with the Young Socceroos, while Archie Thompson and Nick Ansell miss out through injury.
Most significantly, the departure of former captain Mark Milligan to Baniyas in the UAE has allowed the arrival of ex-Mariner Oliver Bozanic.
As for Adelaide, there have been a number of changes both on and off the park with arguably the biggest being that of the manager.
The much loved former coach Josep Gombau has departed the club, with his former assistant Guillermo Amor taking the reins.
On the pitch, they have brought in a number of experienced A-League players; Iacapo La Rocca won the Asian Champions League with Western Sydney Wanderers, whilst Mate Dugandzic has enjoyed spells at both Melbourne teams.
Another ex-Melbourne City (nee Heart) player, Eli Babalj has also signed to give Bruce Djite some competition up front.
However, they are missing key squad members in captain-keeper Eugene Galekovic and right-back Tarek Elrich, both of whom are on international duty.
With both sides missing key members and blooding a number of new players, we may see an edgy start to the game.
However, both managers do like to play a free-flowing style of football, and it’s likely we’ll see an entertaining contest, with a focus on attack rather than defence.
Key Battles:
Besart Berisha v Osama Malik
The Big centre-back will be handed the unenviable task of controlling the Albanian, who averages a goal every other game in the league. Berisha was in fine form for Melbourne last season, scoring 15 goals in 28 games. If Malik can keep the danger man in check, it could be crucial to sealing a result for Adelaide.
Carl Valeri v Jimmy Jeggo
Starved of chances during his time at Victory, Jeggo has starred since crossing to the ‘City of Churches’. New captain Valeri enjoyed a solid first season at Melboune, and will likely cross paths with Jeggo a number of times throughout the night. The midfield battle is always an intriguing one in this contest, and facing his former club, Jeggo will be looking to make a strong mark once again, having performed well last season.
Dylan Murnane vs Pablo Sanchez
The young left-back has deputised well in his limited opportunities for Melbourne over the past two seasons, but will have his work cut out against the crafty Spaniard. Sanchez was one of the unheralded signings of last season, and will look to dominate down the right wing. If he is able to get the better of Murnane, he will be able to supply Bruce Djite with crosses, which a relatively small Victory defence may struggle to deal with.
Prediction:
There will, almost certainly, be goals in this one, with both side’s attack arguably stronger than their defences. 2-2 draw