Above: The Melbourne Derby. Image: Melbourne City.
By Alice de Koster-Kitto & Isabelle Campbell (22/12/2025)
Impetus’ Alice de Koster-Kitto and Isabelle Campbell preview Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory’s matchup with quotes from Michael Matricciani and Taylor Otto as well as Jeff Hopkins and Nikki Flannery.
Melbourne City
By Alice de Koster-Kitto
Between sporadic fixtures and travel due to AFC Women’s Champions League matches, and their most recent match against Adelaide United being postponed due to an influenza outbreak, it’s been a somewhat unsettled start to the season for Melbourne City, having only played four league matches, in comparison to Melbourne Victory’s eight.
“That’s probably been the one thing, just the flow of league games, but it’s a big match, and what we have been able to do over the last eight or nine days is put a lot of load in conditioning sessions,” said head coach Michael Matricciani
Despite the unusual circumstances, Matricciani is confident that the squad has the capabilities to put their best foot forward and thrive on their perceived adversity during the Melbourne Derby.
“We’ve worked the girls extremely hard; we’re very prepared for this match,” he added
“We can’t focus on that. It’s out of our control. Obviously, we had the Champions League campaign as well, which we missed a couple of games.”
The highly anticipated derby will be City’s first time out at AAMI Park this season, and Matricciani believes that a massive home crowd, and the pressure of coming up against their most heated rival is exactly what the squad needs to get back on track, after a period of uncertainty “I think when we play at AAMI Park, it’s a different aura about it.”
Matricciani expressed his belief in the tactical advantage that a ground such as AAMI Park can bring to his City squad “A team like us that we like to dominate the ball and move the ball around to open up gaps in the opposition, it’s actually easier because it’s harder for the opposition to close the spaces and cover the distance of the ground.” he said, as he looks to capitalise on the teams signature dynamics.
Melbourne City defender Taylor Otto also commented on the squad’s possessive tactics and their focus on perfecting their play following recent losses, and bringing their best game into the derby. “I think we need to be able to close the spaces. We need to be cleaner on the ball. We need to be together more in the way that we’re playing and connecting,” said Otto. “I think for us, really, we know the standard we want to hold. We just have to go back to the drawing board and get back to that,” she added.
“It’s a stressful thing, having an invincible season. But we’ve all spoken about it like that’s a very difficult thing to do, and I don’t think any of us expected to do that again.” said Otto, reflecting on Melbourne City’s 2023/24 ‘invincible’ season, and the expectations to bounce back, as a derby win would be the perfect opportunity to regain that confidence following recent losses.
“I think we just need to believe in ourselves a bit more, have a little bit more confidence, and know the way that we can play in the way that we have played in the past few years,” added Otto
There are a number of essential players who will be left out of the City squad for Tuesday’s derby, with Shelby McMahon having taken a knock to the knee, and Laura Hughes recently undergoing knee surgery.
While Hughes and McMahon have both been instrumental in City’s successes this season, the depth within the squad should be well-equipped to put on the performance they are capable of, despite notable absences.
“We have depth, we have people that can play in different positions. We have all these things on our side. So I think really, we’re just trying to focus on ourselves one game at a time and getting the job done,” said Otto
The last time the two Melbourne sides went head to head, was in February of this year, with the battle ending in a 1-1 draw. The match was massively in favour of Victory after Rachel Lowe’s 5th minute strike, but a last minute goal from former City midfielder Mariana Speckmaier evened the score. Looking back at the clashes history, and the squads current form, it might be expected that Victory will come away with the win. However given the unprecedented circumstances of irregular fixtures, players in and out, and an inconsistent start to the season from both sides, the derby is ultimately anyone’s.
“I think it brings to the game. It’s why we love this. There are these big games, and I think the league is growing. The teams are getting progressively better. These games are getting more competitive. And yeah, you never know who’s gonna win. And I think it’s really great for us,” said Otto.
Melbourne Victory
By Isabelle Campbell
In contrast to Melbourne City’s disrupted schedule, Melbourne Victory enter the A-League Women’s Melbourne Derby with rhythm and momentum on their side, having played eight matches already this season, the most of any team in the league, and coming into the fixture off the back of consecutive wins.
Amid a busy festive period and with limited preparation time between matches, head coach Jeff Hopkins said the atmosphere within the Victory camp has remained upbeat.
“We’re happy. We’ve had a quick turnaround. We’ve had a couple of very light sessions, but very, very intense. And we had a great session this morning. Even wanted to ask to go in the gym afterwards, which just means for us, they’re feeling pretty energized. And we sent them home happy after Kris Kringle.”
With limited time on the training pitch between matches, Hopkins believes Victory’s recent form has allowed the squad to embrace the short schedule heading into the derby.
“We spoke about it last week and said a lot of it depends on how you’re going. We’re going very, very well. The team has moved forward in a lot of areas. So we’re just looking forward to playing.”
Victory’s strong recent form has also been driven by their attacking unit, with forward Nicki Flannery returning from injury and opening her account for the season in the win over Newcastle. She said the momentum built over the past two matches has been key.
“Obviously, the short turnaround is kind of good when you have great momentum. I feel the group is very positive after the two games, especially the one against Newcastle, we felt really dominant. So hopefully we can take that in tomorrow.”
Flannery also highlighted the contrast in preparation between the two sides, with City having played only four matches this season.
“I think, for them, it’s hard because they haven’t got this momentum that we’re fortunate to have this week. I think it’s difficult to prepare for a derby when you’ve got 10/14 days to prepare for it. It’s a lot of time to think about opposition, and how to prepare the bodies. Hopefully, if we just get in their face nice and early, they’ll be a bit worried.”
While Victory’s momentum has been evident, Hopkins remains clear on the challenge City will pose, noting their distinct style and attacking threats.
“You know what you’re going to get from City. They’re a team that likes to keep possession, likes to build from the back, and play through the thirds. They’ve got the ability with Holly McNamara up front, to go direct as well. So there’s always that threat there. I think they play in a way that we understand. We’ve played them a lot over the years.”
Despite City’s recent league loss to Canberra, their first in 651 days, Hopkins insists Victory’s focus remains inward.
“To be honest? It doesn’t bother me. This is the derby, we’re always up for the derby. It’s always a big game for us. How they react, we can’t really do anything about that. We can just react to it out on the field.”
One of Victory’s new signings this season, Taylor Ray, said the squad is still on the hunt for consistency, particularly with players returning from injury.
“I think that is the biggest thing for us. We want to build that consistency going throughout the season. I think it’s been a bit of a tough one, because we’ve had a lot of players coming in and out of the squad with injuries, myself included, some big names like Nicki Flannery as well.”
Ray also pointed to the importance of chemistry and communication within the group as a key focus moving forward.
“I think the biggest thing is taking on that reflection, you know, analyzing the game and just having honest communication, owning up and taking accountability of your mistakes is the first step to getting better.”
With squad depth improving, Hopkins confirmed another boost ahead of the derby, with Sienna Saveska set to likely make her Victory debut.
“Yes, Sienna is in the squad this week… She’s probably good enough to play 45 minutes at least. So she’ll be thereabouts. She’s in the squad.”
Offensively, Victory’s creativity has been flourishing in recent matches, with Flannery highlighting the form of her fellow forwards.
“Early on in the year, we struggled to find the back of the net and create really clear goal scoring chances. I think in the past three games in particular, we’ve had a lot of creativity up front, and that’s starting to gel really nice. [Holly] Furphy has been playing out of her skin. It’s really great to see that we’re creating a lot of goal scoring chances and completing them.”
The derby, though big for all players, will be a milestone for Rhianna Pollicina, who spent four seasons at City before signing with Victory this season. Hopkins spoke about her preparation and motivation ahead of facing her former club.
“I kind of sussed her out over the last few weeks, how much I can kind of stir the pot, but I don’t think I need to at the moment. She’s got her own motivations around playing City, and she’s also got some really good memories of the club, so I don’t want to jump in there and say too much that might go against kind of how she’s preparing for the game. She’s a professional. She knows how to get herself ready for the game, and I know she will perform, and she’ll perform really well, even if I don’t really understand that motivation.”
As Victory prepare to host City, Flannery said the feeling around derby day remains unmistakable, regardless of form or fixture congestion.
“It’s just the unspoken feeling of a rivalry… We just know that there’s that extra bit of happiness when you do beat them.”
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