Glory Head Coach Stephen Peters is looking forward to a super Sunday as the women in purple take on traditional powerhouse Melbourne Victory in the club’s first ever Ninja A-League home game at the Sam Kerr Football Centre (kick-off at 5pm, tickets available HERE).
Click HERE to view his full pre-match media conference
The hosts head into the Round 5 fixture off the back of a strong Unite Round performance against Canberra United in which they were unfortunate not to come away with more than a point.
And having made the most of last weekend’s international break, Peters believes his group are well placed to go toe-to-toe with a Victory side currently sitting fourth on the ladder.
“We created some good chances [against Canberra] and I felt we definitely should have had two goals in the first half,” he said.
“It would have made it a different game if we had done that.
“But there were lots of positives to take out of the way we played and the combinations we created and it was actually the first time this season that we’ve won on the possession stat.
“The international break has meant more time on the grass for us, plus we’ve got to nurse some of the players that have still got niggles and aren’t 100%.
“The morale has been very good, I think everyone believes we’re heading in the right direction and we’re looking forward to the next challenge.”
That challenge is to get the better of a strong Victory side which may well include Matildas duo Emily Gielnik and Alex Chidiac, but Glory’s Head Coach is backing his charges to give a good account of themselves.
“We’re planning as per the programme and trying not to look at who’s playing for the Matildas and who’s not,” he said.
“We’re looking at them as a whole team and the patterns they create.
“Obviosuly Gielnik and Chidiac are very dangerous players, so we’re doing our homework on them and a couple of other sparks they have in the team in terms of creating chances; [Rachel] Lowe and [Nickoletta] Flannery spring to mind, along with [Alana] Jancevski.
“They’re a very good side and we’ll need to be definitely at our best to get a result there.
“But it’s a great challenge and we’re very excited to host them at Sam Kerr for the first time.
“We’re very much looking forward to seeing our loyal Members and fans out there supporting us and I think it’s a momentous occasion for WA football.”
Peters went on to commend new Glory recruit Casey Dumont who is poised to become the first goalkeeper in ALW history to reach the milestone of 150 career games on Sunday.
“It’s huge for her,” he said.
“To play 150 games when you consider the season used to be 14 games, that just tells you how long she’s been around and what she’s been through to get to 150 games.
“And ironically, it’s against Melbourne Victory where she spent a lot of time and against [Head Coach] Jeff Hopkins who is someone she respects and admires a lot.
“It’s going to be a special day for her and we’re looking forward to being a part of that.”
In terms of early team news, meanwhile, Peters confirmed that striker Kelli Brown is likely to return from injury and that co-captain Onyi Zogg should also be fit enough to feature.
As for Victory, they will travel west having collected seven points from their four games this season and looking to maintain an unbeaten away record against Glory which stretches back to 2017.
Gielnik has starred for Hopkins’ side thus far this term, scoring six times already, while former Glory attacking midfielder Janceski has contributed one goal and two assists.
Match Details
Ninja A-League 2024/25 Season Round 5
Perth Glory v Melbourne Victory
Sam Kerr Football Centre
Sunday 8 December 2024
Kick-off: 5pm WST
#ONEGlory
