Melbourne Victory Aiming To Finish League Phase On A High

Melbourne Victory are prepared to finish the A League campaign on a high after having jumped into third position in the standings. A month ago, Victory had set their targets of competing for the third spot on the table, and vice-captain Leigh Broxham is now desperate for the side to maintain the position for the final four games of the league phase.

Speaking to reporters, he said: “Obviously at the start of the year you set out to win everything. But we had to reset and reassess. And in the last month we have been hitting everything we want to do and getting to areas where we want to be. This, now, is the form we have wanted to be in all season. But now that we have got to where we want to be we need to keep pushing, stay on edge to keep this third spot and that starts with Perth on Saturday.”

Heading into match day 24, Victory find themselves one point ahead of cross-town rivals Melbourne City with Adelaide and Western Sydney a further four points adrift. The club take on Perth in their next outing where they are likely to be forced into at least one change with James Troisi away on international duty with Australia.

Terry Antonis, who was on the bench during the previous week, is likely to slot into the number 10 position, though there may be an attacking reshuffle with Leroy George swapping the wing for a more central role. Nevertheless, the weekend fixture will be most players afresh with Victory having gone through a rare week without Asian Champions League commitments. After the Glory game, Victory have another three matches in the division before they prepare themselves for the final series, where they are likely to have an elimination playoff.