Melbourne City vs. Melbourne Victory: A-League Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

The A-League Grand Final, which takes place on derby day, will be hosted at AAMI Park on Saturday, pitting rivals Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory against each other.

After winning the Championship in 2021, Hearts will be aiming for a repeat performance, while the Big V will be seeking revenge for last year's final defeat.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

After finishing second in the regular season and losing out on the Championship by five points, Aurelio Vidmar's Melbourne City now have another opportunity to win a trophy after advancing to the Grand Final with a win against Western United.

With a goal by left defender Aziz Behich in Saturday's 1-1 tie against United in the semi-final second leg, Hearts advanced to the championship game on aggregate thanks to a 4-1 win.

With five victories in their current streak and only one loss in their past thirteen games, Vidmar's squad will be feeling optimistic heading into this weekend's fixture, having extended their remarkable undefeated run to eight matches thanks to that tie.

Nevertheless, Victory has won all seven of Saturday's meetings between the two Melbourne clubs. Fans may be worried after witnessing their team lose three derbies in 2024, including a 3-2 penalty shootout loss in last year's Elimination Finals.

City, on the other hand, has only lost once in 2025 at AAMI Park, and playing at home this weekend may give them an advantage.

Arthur Diles's Victory, meanwhile, finished the regular season in fifth place and advanced to the finals after a thrilling semi-final match against Auckland FC, champions of the A-League Premiership.

After falling to the Black Knights 1-0 in the first leg, the Big V upset their opponents in the second leg with two late goals from Bruno Fornaroli and Zinedine Machbach to win the match 2-1 on aggregate.

While Diles's men did well in their most recent match, it was only their third Victory in their past six games. With that in mind, it's safe to assume that their opponents are riding high in terms of momentum heading into this match.

Even though Victory has dominated their last two matches against their neighbours, the manager will be quick to tell his players to keep their concentration after they let go of the lead that Machbach and Clarismario Rodrigues had given them in February's 2-2 draw with Hearts.

Similarly, Victory will draw inspiration from their 3-1 Grand Final loss to Central Coast Mariners in 2024. In that match, Victory had the lead but lost it in stoppage time, forcing extra time and ultimately going past the 120-minute mark due to a third goal conceded.

Melbourne City x Melbourne Victory Team News

German Ferreyra and Kai Trewin will be shielding Patrick Beach in goal this weekend, while Aziz Behich, who scored for City in the second round, could start on the left wing with Nathaniel Atkinson.

In the attacking third, Max Caputo should have Marco Tilio and Yonatan Cohen, who shone against Western United, as wide players.

On Saturday, Victory may be without Zinedine Machbach, Nishan Velupillay, and Daniel Arzani, among other offensive players.

The three players were substituted off in the second leg against Auckland due to injury; in their absence, Reno Piscopo, Alexander Badolato, and Jing Lual could start in their stead.

Brendan Hamill, who injured his anterior cruciate ligament in the first leg of the semi-final and is now in the early stages of recovery, will be unable to play, meaning the team will be without its captain and central defender.

Our Predictions

Melbourne City to win @ 2.17 on Sky247.ng

The City is in high form heading into this matchup, and they have an excellent track record at AAMI Park so that we can anticipate a solid showing from them this weekend.

However, Victory showed remarkable grit in their semi-final comeback against the best club from the regular season; on Saturday, they may give their Melbourne opponents a run for their money.

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