Coach Tony Popovic Unfazed as Melbourne Victory Prepare to Face Perth Glory and Salim Khelifi

Coach Tony Popovic is unfazed by the eligibility of on-loan Salim Khelifi to play against his parent club Perth Glory as Melbourne Victory strive for a top-two finish in the A-League Men. Despite initial discontent from Glory coach Alen Stajcic regarding loan players facing their parent clubs, Popovic remains unperturbed, stating that Khelifi’s availability for the game was known from the start. Victory, still in contention for the premiership, have a favorable home fixture schedule in their final run-in. Popovic emphasized the importance of making the most of the home advantage, aiming to showcase peak performance against Perth. Popovic acknowledged the challenge posed by Glory, particularly highlighting their defensive resilience and counterattacking threat led by Adam Taggart. However, Victory’s focus remains on executing their game plan effectively to secure a crucial victory and accumulate essential points towards their top-two aspirations. Additionally, Victory anticipates the return of Ryan Teague from injury to bolster their squad against Perth.