Babbel: Wanderers can pose problems for 'top team' Victory

Markus Babbel's respect for Melbourne Victory hasn't eroded his belief that Western Sydney Wanderers can spring an upset at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.

Victory head into Round 6 full of confidence following a 2-1 win over Sydney FC that lifted them into second on the ladder.

Kevin Muscat's men were clinical in a tight encounter, in contrast to the several opportunities Western Sydney squandered in losing 2-0 to Newcastle Jets last time out.

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Babbel is bullish about his side's chances of snapping an eight-game winless streak against the champions, but acknowledged the size of the task ahead.

"It's a top team. Especially against Sydney you saw they never get nervous, they play the style they want to play," Babbel said.

"They looked very confident and for me it was clear that if one of the teams was winning it was Melbourne.

"For us it's a big challenge. We need the same mentality, same tactical focus like last week against Newcastle, because we did very well in that game.

"What we have to change is that if you get chances you have to take them.

"We have a gameplan. I think it can work if we do the right things.

"If we can bring our performance on the pitch I'm very confident there can be a great challenge against them and they will have a problem with us."

Alexander Baumjohann's ingenuity will be key to the visitors' hopes of making an impression on their trip south.

The canny playmaker has adjusted well to the Hyundai A-League and is relishing the closeness of each contest.

"The clubs are on the same level," Baumjohann said.

"Everybody can beat everybody and I think this is very interesting. It makes the league very competitive.

"I think we have a really good team. We're getting better week by week and at the end of the season we'll be where we want to be."

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This article was originally published on the Hyundai A-League website.
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