Melbourne City's recent defeat to city rivals Melbourne Victory was followed by an away match against the Western Conference, in a series of Melbourne derbies.
Despite Melbourne City's 1-0 victory over Newcastle Jets in the first round of the league two weeks ago, the team struggled against Melbourne Victory as they conceded three goals in the first 25 minutes. Fortunately, head coach Vidmar made timely adjustments in the second half, and the team showed resilience to turn around the 45-minute second half 1-0.
Nabate has been the only goal scorer of the team, will he be the key man again in this match? Besides, No.10 Jonathon Kohan Koh and flanker Marko De Leo will also be the highlights of the team's offense. Melbourne City will have to learn a lesson from their previous match against Melbourne Victory, and will have to be careful when facing the Western Conference's powerful attacking firepower.
Western Conference forward Yosi Ibusuki had scored his first goal of the season in a 1-1 game last week, and his addition to the team may bring new energy.
As for Noah Baudy, the Australian youngster was impressive last season, and despite his season ending prematurely due to injury, he has returned to the team from injury and has shown good form in both warm-up matches. His performance will have a direct impact on the team's goal threat in this crucial battle.
The Western Conference is strong and has lost both of its games, but Melbourne City is expected to make a comeback with a small win thanks to its fighting spirit on the road.
