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Melbourne will be lead by head coach Mehmet Durakovic after parting ways with foundation coach Ernie Merrick. On-field Adrian Leijer takes on the captain's armband after the retirement of club legend Kevin Muscat.
Last Season...
5th. Lost elimination Final (and were ousted at group stage of AFC Champions League).
They'll Win The League Because...
...they'll score more goals than the opposition team. It's that simple. A squad with Thompson, Allsopp, Hernandez, Kewell, Rojas, Cernak, Solozarno, Pondeljak and Celeski is going to score goals and score them regularly. With over 16,000 members you can guarantee that AAMI Park (and to a lesser extent Etihad Stadium) will be packed out more often enough which will create the most intimidating atmosphere in the A-League. Thirteen home wins is a realistic aim.
They'll Be Cellar Dwellers Because...
...defense is their Achilles heal. With no Muscat who is going to be the on field general? Leijer is a great player but doesn't have the grunt that stalwalt defender Kevin Muscat had. Vargas has been a great servant but he's not getting any quicker. Further recruitment might be necessary and fringe Socceroo Adrian Madaschi could be the answer. Mehmet Durakovic is untried, his constant spruiking of "short, sharp passing" is what fans want to hear but the question is whether he has the tactical nous to keep his talented attacking side in sync.
Talk Around The Watercooler... Look smart in front of your colleagues with this valuable piece of information.
Melbourne Victory hold six of the top eight attendance figures; the other two are Grand Finals. Unsurprisingly Kevin Muscat has received the most cards in the history of the Hyundai A-League with 38 yellows and five reds. Archie Thompson has scored the most goals in the history of the Hyundai A-League with 53 from 112 games. Victory have had three home grounds, Olympic park, Etihad Stadium and AAMI Park. The white 'V' on the Victory strip wasn't introduced until season three after much hullabaloo from fans.
The Extended Off-Season Brought...
...HARRY KEWELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Although how many games will Kewell end up playing? He has helped boost memberships to over 16,000 putting Victory in an enviable position. Tickets to Melbourne Victory games will be must haves this summer, with the opening day expected to be huge - expect a minimum of 45,000 at Etihad Stadium for the visit of Sydney FC and similar crowds for games against Adelaide and Melbourne Heart.
It is unsure yet what formation Durakovic will play and whether he can fit Kewell, Archie, Allsopp, Rojas, Cernak, Solozarno and Hernandez in the one side. The biggest question around the water cooler has been which kit to buy this season; the brilliant new adidas home strip or the dashing new adidas flouro away kit.
Key Player...
Adrian Leijer - Victory need to have Leijer stay fit and healthy as the squad is a bit like a reverse mullet (not as thick at the back as it is at the front). If Leijer can play the majority of games and can give Victory half of what Kevin Muscat brought to the table then Melbourne will be very hard to beat.
One To Watch...
Marco Rojas - Has been electrifying in preseason games and is ready to tear the Hyundai A-League apart.
Full Squad List
1. VELAPHI, Tando 2. Foschini, Matthew 4. FRANJIC, Petar 5. FABINHO 6. BROXHAM, Leigh 7. KEMP, Matthew 8. BREBNER, Grant 9. SOLORZANO, Jean Carlos 10. THOMPSON, Archie 11. ROJAS, Marco 12. VARGAS, Rodrigo 13. FERREIRA, Diogo 14. CELESKI, Billy 15. PONDELJAK, Tomislav 16. HERNANDEZ, Carlos 17. JEGGO, James 18. ALLSOPP, Danny 19. CERNAK, Isaka 20. THOMAS, Lawrence 22. KEWELL, Harry 23. LEIJER, Adrian (C)