National Youth League pair Kieran Dover and Milos Ridesic will both get the chance to make their senior A-League debut’s after the pair were named in Kevin Muscat’s extended squad to take on Sydney FC on Saturday night.
The technically gifted Dover – who plied his trade with Dandenong Thunder during the state league season – and the mobile centre-back Milos Ridesic – who spent the season at Port Melbourne – have both featured for the first team in pre-season friendlies and are among a host of names to make their way into the senior squad, with youngsters Andrew Nabbout, Jesse Makarounas and Jordy Brown as well as Mathieu Delpierre also amongst the ins (with one to be excluded).
Injuries and international duties have stripped the club of a number of key players, including captain Mark Milligan, Kosta Barbarouses, Daniel Georgievski, Scott Galloway, Jason Geria and Connor Pain, and the loss particularly in the defensive half may see Ridesic the more likely to see game time.
One of those who are likely to line up in defence is ex-captain Adrian Leijer who has remained on the fence in regards to the ill-timed international break.
“I’m sort of two sided on the issue [of the international break]. You do miss the Mark Milligan’s, they miss Marc Janko – they’re great players that everyone wants to see play,” Leijer said.
“But it also gives young Australian kids an opportunity and the league growing. It’s a time in the calendar when there’s not much other sport going on so it’s a good time for us to play.
“The fans have been awesome supporting the A-League this year, it’s continuing to grow, and if it means playing without these guys once or twice then so be it.”
With questions over Archie Thompson’s fitness, Leijer has admitted it won’t be too hard to fill the gap, given the depth the club offer, which would see Dover the likely one to take his place in the match day squad.
“I’m sure [Thompson] will get some good recovery in the next couple of days and he’ll be fine. Obviously you’d like everyone training, out here and feeling good but that’s why we have a squad, we have to utilise that.”
“We’ve got the players [to fill the injury gaps]. Kevin’s put a really good squad together this year and that’s what we’re all about. You don’t win anything without all 23 players and that’s the way we’re looking at it.”
Focusing on the opponent however, Leijer believes that Sydney will offer a stern test for his injury hit side, but the big derby atmosphere is something that has the playing staff excited.
“The Big Blue is something we always look forward to, players and fans alike. We’ve had Grand Finals, last day premiership deciders, so we’ve had some big games. It’s one we really look forward to,” he said.
“It’s part and parcel of playing for Melbourne Victory, you get used to the big games. At the end of the day, each way it’s three points – whether it’s against Melbourne City or Newcastle Jets, so each game’s as important as each other.
“We do a lot of work on Sydney. Tomorrow’s our big preview for the weekend. They’ve been good this year, [Graham Arnold’s] got them well disciplined, well structured and they’re going to be hard to beat.”
Possible line-up
GK: Nathan Coe
RB: Leigh Broxham (c)
CB: Matthieu Delpierre
CB: Adrian Leijer
LB: Dylan Murnane
CM: Rashid Mahazi
CM: Carl Valeri
AM: Gui Finkler
LW: Fahid Ben Khalfallah
ST: Besart Berisha
RW: Andrew Nabbout
Subs:
Lawrence Thomas
Milos Ridesic
Jesse Makarounas
Jordan Brown
Kieran Dover