Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Preview: Macarthur vs. Melbourne Victory - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 9 December 2022, 20:17
Melbourne Victory have an opportunity to surpass Macarthur in the A-League standings on Saturday when they face them at Campbelltown Sports Stadium in New South Wales.

Before the World Cup break, the Bulls came away with a 3-2 victory thanks to an injury-time strike versus the Central Coast Mariners, while the team from Victoria are a point behind them in seventh after falling 3-0 to Adelaide United in November.

Match preview

Consistency from one match to another has been an issue for Macarthur so far in this domestic campaign, as they have yet to win consecutive games.

They have had difficulty remaining poised and compact along the backline lately, conceding multiple goals in three straight league affairs, allowing the opening strike in two of their previous three fixtures.

Macarthur have only been shut out once so far in this campaign, which should come as no surprise when you consider they are led by one of the most prolific foreign strikers in Premier League history during his playing days, Dwight Yorke.

The Trinidad and Tobago legend guided this expansion team to its first-ever trophy earlier this season, capturing the Australian Cup just three months after replacing Ante Milicic as the new manager.

The Bells find themselves in a position to qualify for the Finals series for the second time in three seasons, currently in fourth, three points back of Adelaide for third.

Defensively Macarthur were sharp through their opening three matches, conceding only once, but it has been a different story for them recently as they have allowed a total of nine goals in their previous three encounters, including three versus Sydney FC in their last home outing, which they lost 3-2.

Big V might want some pointers from the Macarthur boss on how to score as Tony Popovic's men have struggled in that department away from home without a goal in their previous two road outings.

Their seven goals scored so far in this domestic campaign is the lowest output for this club at this stage of the competition since the 2020-21 season.

Victory are unbeaten when scoring the opening goal this year, though they have only managed to do that once, blanking the Newcastle Jets 4-0 at home in early November.

Melbourne have already suffered three defeats in the A-League this year, one fewer than they had in the entire 2021-22 campaign when they finished second behind their arch-rivals Melbourne City before losing their Finals series to Western United 4-2 on aggregate.

Wide overloads and through balls to their centre-forwards enabled this team to achieve great success during the 2021-22 league season, but they have been a little timid in the attacking third so far over this campaign, failing to score in four of their seven matches.

After losing their first two games against Macarthur in 2020-21, Melbourne emerged victorious in both encounters last season, outscoring them 7-2 over that stretch.

Macarthur Australian A-League form:

D

W

D

L

L

W

Melbourne Victory Australian A-League form:

W

L

L

D

W

L

Team News

Goals from Al Hassan Toure and Jonathan Aspropotamitis gave Macarthur a 2-0 lead in their previous league fixture, but it was a 95th-minute effort from Jed Drew which proved decisive as the Bulls won their first road game of the new season.

Filip Kurto is tied for third in the A-League regarding clean sheets, both of which came in his opening two matches of the year, Matthew Millar has failed to score in his last two domestic affairs as he is tied with Lachlan Rose for the team lead in goals with two.

Only five Macarthur players kept their place in the starting 11 from Matchday Five to Six, including Ivan Vujica, Tomislav Uskok, Matthew Millar, Daniel De Silva and Craig Noone.

Melbourne keeper Paul Izzo had a rough outing in his last A-League start, conceding on three of the five shots fired his way, though he has a pair of clean sheets from earlier in the campaign.

Nicholas D'Agostino had a brace in their 3-1 win at home to Macarthur last season, while they got goals from Ben Folami, Jake Brimmer, Roderick and captain Joshua Brillante when they defeated them 4-1 at Campbelltown Stadium in 2021-22.

Matthew Spiranovic is dealing with a foot injury and might not be ready to return this weekend as Popovic has gone with a back four of Cadete, Roderick, Leigh Broxham and Stefan Nigro in three straight league games.

Macarthur possible starting lineup:

Kurto; Vujica, McGing, Uskok, Millar; Skotadis; Rose, M'Mombwa, De Silva, Noone; Carter

Melbourne Victory possible starting lineup:

Izzo; Cadete, Roderick, Broxham, Nigro; Marchan, Brillante; Folami, Brimmer, Konstandopoulos; D'Agostino

We say: Macarthur 2-1 Melbourne Victory

At the moment, Melbourne look a little unsettled when defending away from home, taking too long to get into a game, and although Macarthur have been inconsistent, they have shown a lot more quality in the attacking third this season when compared to their opponents.

Previews by email

Top News

22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Holstein Kiel will hope to use their home crowd at Holstein-Stadion to spur them to victory against Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga on Sunday, as they continue their quest for survival. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Football fans will forever cherish the intense jubilation that comes with their team scoring a late winning goal. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides separated by one spot will go head-to-head in the Turkish Super Lig when Besiktas welcome Goztepe SK to Tupras Stadyumu on Sunday. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk After seeing their seven-match unbeaten run in the Turkish Super Lig end, Samsunspor will hope to pick up the pieces when they welcome Alanyaspor to the Samsun 19 May Stadium on Sunday. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Trent Alexander-Arnold is a major doubt for Liverpool's visit to face Southampton this weekend. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Arsenal hope to have Bukayo Saka available when they face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League this weekend. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bournemouth will have the opportunity to set a new club record when they take on Brighton & Hove Albion in Saturday's Premier League contest. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Steven Gerrard has hailed the performances of Liverpool's academy graduate Curtis Jones this season. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Reece James faces an uncertain future in football due to his ongoing injury problems. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea Women will look to maintain their 100% record in all competitions when they face Manchester United Women in Sunday's Women's Super League contest at Kingsmeadow. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona will be looking to record their 12th La Liga victory of the 2023-24 campaign when they travel to Celta Vigo on Saturday night. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United will be bidding to make it 10 straight away league victories over promoted teams when they head to Portman Road on Sunday afternoon to tackle Ipswich Town. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has revealed that he will not make a final decision on his squad for Sunday's Premier League clash with Ipswich Town until after Saturday's training session. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has labelled Pep Guardiola the best manager in the world and "probably the best to have ever existed on Earth". 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two places separate Willem II and NAC Breda in the Eredivisie table heading into Sunday's gameweek 13 meeting at Koning Willem II Stadion. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Premier League football returns this weekend, with the final international break of 2024 now being completed. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Jack Grealish has revealed whether or not he would ever appear on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has insisted he will remain Manchester City manager even if the club are relegated over alleged breaches of financial rules. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming for a victory to start Patrick Vieira's tenure positively, Genoa seek maximum against a Cagliari side one place ahead of them in the Serie A table ahead of Sunday's gameweek 13 match at Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ruben Amorim takes charge of his inaugural Manchester United match on Sunday afternoon, when his Red Devils side face Ipswich Town at Portman Road in the Premier League. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is guaranteed to set a new club record in Saturday's Premier League home meeting with Nottingham Forest. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton boss Russell Martin has confirmed that both Aaron Ramsdale and Jan Bednarek will be sidelined for "a number of weeks". 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alistair Johnston has claimed that he is "exactly where I want to be" as he enters the prime years of his career after signing a contract extension at Celtic until the summer of 2029. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ajax will be looking to extend their unbeaten run in the Eredivisie this weekend when they face off against PEC Zwolle at the Johan Cruijff Arena on Sunday afternoon. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Premier League champions Manchester City will be looking to return to winning ways when they welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Looking to strengthen their case for a top-six finish, Swansea City will welcome Premier League-chasing Leeds United to Swansea. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea's hopes of claiming all three points against Leicester City may be tempered by the recent record following international windows. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Lionel Messi continues to break records while in the twilight of his career - but one stat has proved impossible for even him to top. 22 November 2024 talksport.com No list of all-time Premier League goals can be complete without Tony Yeboah's memorable screamer against Liverpool in August 1995. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ipswich Town midfielder Kalvin Phillips is eligible to return from suspension for the Tractor Boys' Premier League showdown with Manchester United at Portman Road on Sunday.
Tomorrow at 14:00
A
Verona Verona
-
sch
Inter Inter
Tomorrow at 20:00
L1
Reims Reims
-
sch
Lyon Lyon