Victory ready for heat, from the Reds and the conditions, in A-League Women Pride clash
Melbourne Victory boss Jeff Hopkins is expecting Adelaide to provide a desperate opponent right from the opening whistle of the two's A-League Women Pride Cup clash on what shapes as a sizzling Sunday
Unbeaten in their last seven games, Melbourne Victory appears to be peaking at just the right time of the A-League Women's season. But with Adelaide United desperately seeking anything that can keep a faint flicker of hope in their campaign alive with a month remaining, Jeff Hopkins is anticipating a furious, if hot, encounter.
A blistering four-goal first half propelled Victory to a 5-3 over Wellington last Sunday, bringing them up to nine goals across their past two games at the Home of the Matildas and just two points back of second position on the A-League Women's table.
Perhaps unlucky not to have a greater lead going into the main break, the opening 45 minutes was perhaps the best football that Victory played all season – Hopkins conceded it might have been – as they consistently manoeuvred the ball into dangerous spaces and almost entirely denied the ‘Nix opportunities to get in behind them.
This week, however, they must leave the comfortable confines of Bundoora and head to Hindmarsh Stadium, where they will take on an Adelaide side for whom hopes of finals football have all but been extinguished. Sitting nine points adrift of the finals places with five games remaining on the season, coach Adrian Stenta’s side is already in the domain of ‘mathematically possible’ thinking coming into this week, something that would be made only more forlorn with another defeat.
Alana Jančevski, Chelsie Dawber and Emilia Murray will all return to the Reds’ squad for the fixture, with Stenta saying during the lead-up that his unit was a “much different side to when we played Victory earlier in the season” – a game in which Victory eased to a 2-0 win at AAMI Park.
Ava Briedis will return for Victory, while Elise Kellond-Knight will be given every chance to progress through the final stages of the league's concussion protocol after missing last week's win. Lydia Williams, meanwhile, remains absent, with Hopkins now doubtful the Matildas goalkeeper will feature against City next week.
“They're dangerous games,” Hopkins said of Sunday. “Desperation from the word go.
“I'm not 100% sure who will play but they've got a few players back in this week. Some big big players as well Murray, Dawber, and most probably Alana Jančevskias well. So they're getting bodies back into the squad that are quality players.
“We understand [the desperation mindset], we've been in this situation ourselves over the last few seasons. It's something that we're aware of, [we] understand what we might come up against, and we just got to make sure that we're well prepared for it. I think we are.
“Our unbeaten run now is seven games and it's been built off the back of some really hard work. The players understand that pressure and hard work come first and the football will follow if we get that right.
“We won't be surprised if they come out and come at us quickly and hard. We'll be waiting for that and we're well prepared to match that and go and go a bit further if we have to.”
The Original Rivalry meeting between the two belligerents was initially slated to take place as part of a Pride Cup double-fixture with the two club’s men’s sides, only for extreme heat to force its move to Sunday.
It forced a bit of a scramble from the team’s support staff – flights and accommodation re-organized to account for the Victorians flying in on Saturday rather than Friday – but for the most part, Hopkins said his unit was unfazed by the change, and that they would be able to handle the temperatures that will still likely be in the low-to-mid 30s at the rearranged kickoff time of 7:00 pm local.
“Obviously [there won’t be] any real direct sunlight but it's going to be tough for us,” he said. “[But] it's not something we haven't faced before.
“So [it’s about doing] all the things leading into the game, making sure we're not on our feet for too long, making sure that we don't overtrain leading into the game, making sure we get the hydration and nutrition right, leading into games – so we're 100% right from the word go.
“And it has been because we've had plenty of time to prepare for it. So I'm sure both teams will do the right thing.
“I think the right thing was to postpone the game and put it at a time that is a little bit more conducive to good football as well…. If 30-degree heat is conducive to good football!”
Sunday will mark the third successive season that Adelaide and Victory’s women have faced off in a Pride game – with the Melburnians already locked into hosting next year’s event as part of the two club’s partnership with Pride Cup.
“It means a lot to all of us, everyone at the club,” said Hopkins. “This club is really inclusive, everyone is welcome, we pride ourselves on that.
“That side of things is really important to us. This, for us, is a real honour to be the team that's representing our club in this game. It does mean a lot to us.”