A League / Andy Morris / 15 January 2010 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

Melbourne Victory badly need to get back to winning ways when Perth Glory visit Etihad Stadium, writes Andy Morris.

If anyone had told a Victory supporter at the start of the season that they would find themselves below Gold Coast United on the ladder after 21 games played, they would have been greeted with derision.

But the ladder doesn't lie, and while the competition's new boys continue to prosper Melbourne have seen their own fortunes tumble to the point where they lie third, two points behind second-placed United.

This is the point of the season where we find out whether Melbourne really have what it takes to win a championship.

Poor recent form

They should easily make the top six, but it would be hard to win the whole thing without finishing in the top two and they have to kick on again now after a sequence of just one win in their last five games.

Last week's defeat in Newcastle was a case in point - they should have been able to take control of the game when they got level at 1-1 against what was a 10-man Jets team.

However, Victory have been really inconsistent in the past few weeks and the defeat at EnergyAustralia Stadium was the second in as many weeks on the road, with the 1-0 loss to North Queensland Fury also hurting.

Matthew Kemp hurt his hamstring last week so misses out against Perth, while Grant Brebner is a possible inclusion after recovering from an ankle problem.

Perth will fancy their chances of taking something out of this game - both of the teams boast five wins in their series so far, with four of the games being shared.

The Glory usually find Melbourne a difficult place to come to, having never win there, but Etihad Stadium has hardly been a fortress for Victory this season.

Perth inconsistency a problem

Perth have been up and down recently, with a couple of disappointing losses to the Fury and Gold Coast preceding a fine 4-0 win over the Jets.

These fixtures often produce quite a few goals, but Ernie Merrick would cheerfully accept a boring 1-0 win rather than have it turn into an epic encounter that his team fails to win.

David Mitchell will have fired his players up for this trip, as Perth need to step up themselves if they are to retain a top-six place.

Perth beat Melbourne in Western Australia in the first meeting of the teams this season, and I fancy they could stop Victory again. I can see these teams cancelling each other out in a 1-1 or 2-2 draw.