Kevin Muscat is excited boss heading into the Big Blue, knowing he is able to unleash the attacking threat of Ola Toivonen on Sydney FC.
Having missed the start of the season with a calf injury, FIFA World Cup star Toivonen is in contention to make his first start to the season in the rebel Female Football Round.
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The Swedish striker made his debut as a substitute in their 4-1 win over Central Coast Mariners and provides Muscat with a welcome selection headache for Sunday’s sold out clash at Jubilee Stadium.
“It’s going to be difficult to leave him [Toivonen] out this week,” he said.
“He came on and showed what he’s about in terms of his intelligence and technique and the team has done very well considering the options we had in front third of the park.
“It’s nice to have two strikers available because we haven’t really had that over a period of time so to have Kosta [Barbarouses] and Ola [Toivonen] up front again is exciting for the team.
“Raul [Baena] has been training for the last week to eight days, Ola has trained for the whole two weeks during this break so both of those guys are really excited about playing again.
Midfield Carl Valeri is also looking forward to seeing the impact Baena can have on the team, despite their rivalry for a starting berth as Victory's holding midfielder.
Thirty four-year-old Valeri signed a one-year contract extension in May despite Baena's arrival on loan from Spanish La Liga outfit Granada.
He said: “I totally understood my role, that Kevin was going to be signing someone else, and it was my job to compete for that position.
“I accepted that challenge and Raul’s a fantastic player and he’s probably better than me.
“I believe when he’s fit he’ll definitely change the dynamics of the team because he’s played in La Liga most of his career, you can see he’s got something special about him.
“So I’m looking forward to him come back, get his fitness and take the club to new levels because that’s what it’s about.
“We’re going to be pushing each other and that’s our job, that’s what we’re here to do, and that’s the way the team produces the best football, when we’re all pushing each other out on the pitch.”
