Kosta Barbarouses believes everything’s possible for Melbourne Victory in their Asian Champions League campaign following Tuesday night’s 1-0 win over Yokohama F Marinos.
A sublime rearguard display from the Victory set up the win, leaving them with a real chance of qualifying from the group stage.
“We’re equal second now and we’ve got a tough game in a couple of weeks in Japan but if we can get another win there or in the next couple of games, we’re right in it and I don’t see why we can’t progress,” Barbarouses said.
Whilst it was Kiwi international who played the role of match winner, it was the solid performance from the Victory defence that set them up for success.
The 1-0 result marks the side’s first clean sheet since December of last year, and Barbarouses was unsurprisingly complementary of the defensive effort.
“In the past we might have conceded a soft goal but it was really good to see that obviously with Aido [Leijer] back as well we kept a clean sheet and hopefully we can have a few more from now until the end of the season,” he said.
The forward was also quick to praise Lawrence Thomas for his performance between the goalposts.
The young keeper hasn’t been entirely convincing since coming in for previous incumbent Nathan Coe, but his performance midweek may be a sign that he’s slowly feeling a part of the first team picture at the Victory.
“He had to train hard to get his chance,” Barbarouses said.
“I think he’ll grow confident with every game that he plays and you can see last night he’s a little bit more comfortable as well.”
Clearly in a generous mood, he also found time to praise coach Kevin Muscat for his ability to draw positive results despite the team’s heavy workload.
“I think you can see we’re doing pretty well with [the workload].
“The results have been pretty positive even with the amount of games we’re playing so the boss is doing a good job of seeing how everyone’s feeling and who needs to play and who needs to have a bit of a rest.”
Barbarouses then turned his attention towards this weekend’s top of the table clash against Brisbane Roar, as the boys in blue look to build momentum heading into the finals.
A draw is enough for Brisbane to clinch top spot in the league, but the squad isn’t giving up the minor premiership without a fight.
“Hopefully if we do win we can catch them and finish top of the league but there’s not many games remaining,” Barbarouses said.
“If we can go there and get a win, it’ll bode well for us come playoffs because hopefully we’ll play them to get a spot in the grand final.”
The fixture also has a special meaning for the Victory goal sneak as he makes his return to Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium after winning the title with the Roar during the 2010-11 season.
“I had a great year there, it’s a great place to go and play football and it’ll be good to see some old faces as well.”
Melbourne Victory travel to Suncorp Stadium to take on league leaders Brisbane Roar. Kick-off for Saturday’s match is scheduled for 6:45 pm.