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Melbourne City will welcome local rivals Melbourne Victory to the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in the A-League on Saturday.
The hosts have seen a drop in form recently, suffering four losses in their last five league outings. They lost 5-1 away at Brisbane Roar last week, conceding four goals in the first half. Terry Antonis bagged a consolation goal in the 73rd minute as City struggled a bit in the absence of in-form midfielder Tolgay Arslan.
The visitors have endured a five-game winless run in the A-League and suffered their first loss of the season last week, falling to a 1-0 home loss to Macarthur FC. They dropped to fourth place in the league table following that loss and trail league leaders Wellington Phoenix by six points.
The hosts now have seven losses to their name in the league and are in seventh place in the standings, with 21 points from 16 games.
Melbourne City vs Melbourne Victory Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams contest the Melbourne derby and this will be the 43rd edition of the derby in competitive games. They have been evenly matched in these meetings, with 15 wins each and 12 games ending in draws.
- They squared off three times in the A-League last season, with two wins for City and one game going the visitors' way. They met in the league in December earlier this season, with the match ending in a goalless draw.
- Melbourne City have suffered four losses in their last five league outings, conceding 12 goals while scoring just five times in that period.
- Melbourne Victory have won just one of their six games in the A-League in 2024, with four games ending in 1-1 draws.
- City are unbeaten in their last six home meetings against the visitors, with three games ending in draws.
- Both teams have scored 28 goals in 16 games this season. Victory have the better defensive record, conceding 18 goals.
Melbourne City vs Melbourne Victory Prediction
The Hearts have suffered two losses on the spin, conceding nine goals, and will look to improve upon that record. While they have lost four of their last five league games, they have fared better recently at home, with just one loss in seven games.
They are unbeaten in their last six home meetings against the visitors, scoring 14 goals while conceding five times, and will look to build on that form. Tolgay Arslan is unavailable pending a verdict from Football Australia’s Disciplinary and Ethics Committee. New signing Vicente Fernánde has been included in the squad and should start from the bench.
The Boys in Blue have seen a drop in form this year, with just one win in six games thus far. Their unbeaten run in the league came to an end last week, losing 1-0 to Macarthur. It was just the second time they had failed to score this term, and will look to return to goalscoring ways.
Bruno Fornaroli played for the first time in the A-League this year in the loss against Macarthur and will hope to regain his goalscoring touch in this crucial match.
Considering the recent struggles of the two teams, they are likely to settle for a low-scoring draw.
Prediction: Melbourne City 1-1 Melbourne Victory
Melbourne City vs Melbourne Victory Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Draw
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the first half - Yes
Tip 4: Jamie Maclaren to score or assist any time - Yes
