Sydney FC VS Melbourne Victory, a hard-fought contest

Match Time：4/27/2021 17:35 Tuesday  (GMT+8)

Australia A-League --  Sydney FC   VS   Melbourne Victory

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Sydney FC square off against Melbourne Victory on Tuesday with the opportunity to move into second position in the A-League standings.

 

Meanwhile, Victory will move clear of the bottom of the table if they can extend their recent run to three wins in four fixtures.

 

Match preview

Having been appointed as interim head coach after Victory's 7-0 defeat to Melbourne City, Steve Kean may have felt that he had little to lose in his opening game versus Western Sydney Wanderers.

 

Nevertheless, no-one could have predicted the match which unfolded with Victory netting five goals during a 59-minute period to run out 5-4 winners.

 

Kean batted away questions about Victory almost letting a four-goal margin slip in the closing stages, insisting that getting three points on the board was all that mattered.

 

While the former Blackburn Rovers boss was right, he will now be expected to build on injecting new life into a club which is still battling to avoid finishing bottom of the table.

 

Ben Folami, on loan from Ipswich Town, netted his first two goals of the season on Friday, and the 21-year-old could now be given more opportunities by Kean in the future.

 

At this stage of the campaign, Sydney FC would have hoped to have been higher than fourth place in the standings, particularly after a five-match unbeaten streak throughout April.

 

However, three draws in succession have left Steve Corica's side fighting to remain in contention for top spot during the remainder of the regular season.

 

After conceding a lead in two fixtures in a row, Sydney came from two goals adrift to claim a draw with rivals Central Coast Mariners on Saturday.

 

That comeback has given Sydney a chance to move ahead of their last opponents in the table, and Corica will expect his players to achieve that goal with a favourable schedule over the coming weeks.

 

While nine goals in five games have been shared out, Corica will hope that Bobo and Kosta Barbarouses can improve on their return of six strikes since the start of the season.

 

Sydney FC Australian A-League form:LWWDDD

Melbourne Victory Australian A-League form:LDLWLW

 

Team News

With just a three-day turnaround after the Mariners fixture, Corica will consider making alterations to his Sydney XI.

 

Trent Buhagiar is in contention after scoring as a substitute at the weekend, while Paulo Retre is an option in the centre of midfield.

 

Having an extra day of preparation may encourage Kean to stick with the majority of the Victory team which performed so impressively against the Wanderers.

 

However, Callum McManaman serves a one-match ban for five yellow cards, which may hand an opportunity to Elvis Kamsoba on the right flank.

 

Sydney FC possible starting lineup:

Redmayne; Van Der Saag, McGowan, Wilkinson, King; Buhagiar, Caceres, Brattan, Ninkovic; Bobo, Barbarouses

 

Melbourne Victory possible starting lineup:

Acton; Roux, Broxham, Ryan, Lauton; Brimmer, Butterfield; Kamsoba, Kruse, Folami; Gestede

 

Sydney FC 1-1 Melbourne Victory