The abandoned Australian A-League Melbourne derby between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory resumes on Wednesday evening at AAMI Park.
The reigning premiers were 1-0 up during December's contest before disgraceful scenes of crowd disorder led to the tie being abandoned, and the game will resume from the 22-minute mark in midweek.
Match preview
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Sparks were always expected to fly between two Melbourne rivals in December, but flares flying onto the pitch - and being thrown back into the stands by Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover prior to an ugly pitch invasion - was not in the script.
Aiden O'Neill's 11th-minute strike had propelled Melbourne City into the ascendancy, but Glover throwing a flare back into the end of the Victory supporters sparked an unsavoury melee, and the shot-stopper was the subject of an inexplicable attack alongside referee Alex King.
Officials were left with no choice but to abandon the match, which will resume with Melbourne City holding their 1-0 lead from the 22nd minute, as Rado Vidosic's side aim to take another step towards a third successive A-League premiers crown.
The hosts have been held to a pair of 1-1 draws against bottom-half sides Macarthur and Newcastle Jets in their last two fixtures, but they have retained their grip on first place in the standings, sitting two points clear of Adelaide United with a game in hand.
The City Blues - who lost to Western United in last season's Grand Final - have now scored and conceded in each of their last nine A-League contests, and they are the only team in the division with their unbeaten home record still intact; a 1-0 head start will more than benefit their chances of extending that streak in midweek.
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While their local rivals aim to ride off into the sunset in first place, Melbourne Victory continue to languish in the lower echelons of the A-League standings, but they have enjoyed a mini-revival at just the right time.
Having entered the international hiatus on the back of a 2-0 success over Central Coast Mariners, Anthony Popovic's side picked up right where they left off in Saturday's clash with Wellington Phoenix, prevailing 2-1 thanks to second-half strikes from Bruno Fornaroli and Damien Da Silva.
No longer rooted to the foot of the table, Melbourne Victory now occupy 11th spot in the 12-team rankings - one point better off than Brisbane Roar with a game in hand - and triumphing at Wellington snapped a six-game winless run on the road for the Boys in Blue.
Either side of December's abandoned showdown, Melbourne City posted a 2-0 win over their bitter adversaries back in October before Popovic's team prevailed 3-2 at AAMI Park in the middle of February, but the 'visitors' have fewer than 70 minutes on the clock to save their bacon this week.
Team News
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Hosting manager Vidosic has been handed a pair of injury and suspension headaches for Wednesday's derby, as midfielder Scott Jamieson saw red for two bookable offences against Newcastle Jets and will serve a one-match ban here.
Prior to Jamieson's early bath, Portuguese defender Nuno Reis came off in the 21st minute - joining Mathew Leckie (hamstring), Richard van der Venne (calf/illness) and Arion Sulemani (ACL) in the hosts' infirmary.
Should Van der Venne fail to recover in time for Wednesday's battle, Max Caputo - who rescued a point for his side off the bench at the weekend - could come into the engine room, as Callum Talbot deputises for Reis in the right-back role.
Meanwhile, Melbourne Victory's marquee man Nani is sidelined with damage to his cruciate ligament, while Matthew Bozinovski and Jake Brimmer are keeping the Portuguese attacker company in the medical bay.
On-loan striker Fernando Romero is back from a one-match ban to boost Popovic's attacking options, though, while right-back Jason Geria missed out against Wellington Phoenix with muscular soreness but should be in with a strong chance of returning for the resumed derby.
Melbourne City possible starting lineup:
Glover; Talbot, Lam, Good, Bos; O'Neill, Berisha, Caputo; Tilio, Maclaren, Nabbout
Melbourne Victory possible starting lineup:
Izzo; Geria, Miranda, Da Silva, Cadete; Folami, Broxham, Brillante, Ikonomidis; Adams, Fornaroli
We say: Melbourne City 3-1 Melbourne Victory
Despite coming into Wednesday's heated battle with a one-goal advantage, City should not be tempted to sit back and hold what they have, especially with their recent defensive record.
The final third is where the premiers thrive, though, and while a revitalised Victory side can threaten a goal or two themselves, City should pick up where they left off in December and march to a resounding triumph.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Knapton
