Victory will be missing two of its key men on Monday…
Melbourne Victory manager Kevin Muscat has confirmed his side will be without Besart Berisha and Mattieu Delpierre for Monday’s clash with the Wellington Phoenix.
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Both Berisha and Delpierre were forced from the field during the Victory’s 4-2 FFA Cup quarter-final loss to Perth Glory on Wednesday night.
Defenders Adrian Leijer and Daniel Georgievski were sent off in the same match, meaning Muscat will be missing three of his preferred defenders for the match at AAMI Park.
Leigh Broxham and captain Mark Milligan are now expected to slot into the heart of defence, while Archie Thompson will play despite being a late withdrawal from the loss to Perth.
“Archie’s fine,” Muscat told reporters.
“Matthieu (Delpierre) and Bes (Besart Berisha) have both got strains. We’ll look after them. They need some more time to recover. It’s not a real bad strain, fingers crossed they’ll be available for next week’s game.
“We’ve certainly got enough players and we’ve got enough quality to cover for the boys that aren’t available. They’ll be one or two not playing in their favoured position.
“Broxie (Broxham) and Millsy (Milligan) can play as central defenders, we’ve got two natural fullbacks in the players who are available, we’ve got two natural midfielders in there, we’re comfortable.
“We’ll have a strong side out.”