A revitalised Melbourne Victory will aim to put a dent in Sydney FC's bid to defend the A-League Premiers Plate in Tuesday night's Big Blue in Kogarah.
The Sky Blues have the chance to move within touching distance of the top of the ladder as Steve Corica's side seek an unprecedented fifth Premiership but struggling Victory showed signs of turning the corner during Saturday's breathless 5-4 win over Western Sydney Wanderers.
After being served up a 7-0 hammering by crosstown rivals Melbourne City two weeks ago, the Navy Blue clinched their fourth win in 17 games this season following the departure of former head coach Grant Brebner, a result that lifted them off the foot of the table.
Lead by interim coach Steve Kean, Victory will be desperate to follow up on that confidence-boosting triumph to show incoming chief Tony Popovic their true colours. Victory need nine points from nine games to avoid falling below their lowest ever A-League points tally of 23, set in last season's 10th-place campaign – the worst finish in their history.
After Melbourne City, Central Coast Mariners and Adelaide United dropped points in Matchweek 18, the top three have left the door open for Sydney to make up ground. The Harbour City club will be searching to build on their 2-2 draw against the Mariners in Gosford, where goals from Milos Ninkovic and Trent Buhagiar saw them come from two goals down for share the points.
The four-time Premiers have owned bragging rights in Big Blue encounters for the past two years, claiming maximum points from the last six contests. The last time Victory celebrated following a Big Blue clash was a 2-1 win on January 26, 2019.
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Match details
Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory
Tuesday, April 27 2021
Venue: Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
Kick-off: 7.35pm AEST
Broadcast: Fox Sports 505
Stream: MyFootball Live App, Kayo Sports
How to follow the action
Match Centre: Live updates, videos and statistics
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Ways to watch
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Tipping
Matchweek 18: Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory
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