R4 vs Melbourne Victory | Monday 3rd Nov | 9:30pm

Phoenix v Victory in Melbourne.

P:11 W:0 D:3 L:8 GF:7 GA:25

Time for a W

Fuck I'm scared.

The lads can do it but they need to really turn the intensity and accuracy up a few notches.

I this!'ed the above post by Ryan for BOTH sentences.

We're they're going to beat theirour arses so bad theywe'll have to go to Ballarat to take a crap.

(Edited for anti-jinx)

Clearly a tough assignment away from home, but getting a result is certainly doable. Our midfield may well be able to compete with theirs, and defensively they have let in as many goals in as we have this season. A big question will be our ability to contain Barbarouses/Thompson/Berisha/Finkler. It's positive the way we are trying to defend as a team this season, we'll definitely need to be doing that well.

While Victory have swept aside West Sydney Wanderers & Melbourne City, they were also rather lucky to get away with a draw in Adelaide, only had 4 shots in that match so they aren't running riot every match.

Why is this on a Monday?

public holiday over there on the tuesday (Melbourne Cup day). we've played on the monday before Melbourne Cup for each of the past few years now.

Day before Melbourne Cup.

Probably because they know they will thump us! A good start to their holiday...

Basically. It's seemingly become tradition now.

And of course when we play on Monday we follow it up with a Friday game...

Wanderers have to fly back from Saudi Arabia though.

Yep; think we've got the better deal there.

...Especially if we are coming off the back of our first win against the Tards in Melbourne.

Be a nice birthday present for someone if we won in Melbourne. Well it is o  the 2nd, but they wont mind waiting an extra day.

If they have the balls to win in Melbourne against the victory then I don't see why they cant win the league this year considering how well victory are playing at the moment.

game plan . . . .

contain berisha and baba roo sus . don't worry about Thompson he is just old , and gets tap in's .

Doyle on baba . will be a hard challenge for him

Historically I have backed losers at both events....

My birthday today so Sunday was a decent early present. Was joking with my partner that we should have booked one of those kids birthday packages to meet Nixie etc!

Id love to not worry about Thompson but he cant stop scoring against us. He's probably practising his haka goal celebration in the mirror as we speak..

Kosta is the one I'm worried about. He's so lethal at the moment.

Kosta stats vs City

2 assists

3 shots

5 tackle evades

6 balls into the penalty area

Compare that to Burns against the Jets

2 goals

1 assist

4 shots

5 tackle evades

4 defender evades

6 balls into the penalty area.

Problem is how much Victory is scoring, they have 10 goals after 3 rounds is equal most in A-League history (tied with Gold Coast 09-10)

(comes from fox sports stats)

Problem is Kosta was playing against Citeh and Nathan was playing against the Jests.

I have confidence in Ernie getting a win away to his old club at some point.

I wasn't really endorsing it, I am just looking at all these nifty new forum features.

Kosta is going to tear us a new one. 

Odds against of course, but what would a win for us be worth eh?

Brockie to score against the Tards

3:2 - Bonevacia, Brockie, Barbarouses, Berisha, Burns

How many equalisers and winners?

Big job for the fullbacks, Victory are so good at attacking the space between centre backs and fullbacks, then if you play too narrow they go round the outside.  I'd be happy to see us play deep and try and hit on the counter attack because I think it's quite suicidal to try and push the full backs and play them at their own game.  

Feel like we can finally do that with Burns who has a bit of pace.  I would also consider bringing Cunningham in as well as he's also pretty good defensively, I'd probably leave Brockie out as I don't think it will be the game for him.

@Oska: Is it just because all of their names start with a 'B' or is this this just a concidence?

For me, the guy you really have to shut down is Finkler. When he is on form and has the time and space to create and distribute, the Victory are a lethal team.

If we can keep it solid at the back and don't give cheap goals away we will have a good chance to get something from the game.

Rickie in dis guise.