Melbourne City host Melbourne Victory in the first W-League Melbourne Derby at AAMI Park in Melbourne.

A spectacular opening display from Melbourne City saw them emphatically grab the three points from Sydney FC with a 6-0 whipping at Lambert Park in Round 1.

By contrast, Melbourne Victory started well but eventually succumbed to Perth Glory, losing 2-1 leaving them on zero points.

City were dominant against Sydney but they weren’t unstoppable, with Sydney able to stay with their opponents through the opening 30 minutes after which the gates opened and Joe Montemurro’s team seized the match.

Aivi Luik and Amy Jackson were strong in the midfield, with Marianna Tabain and Beattie Goad ripping down the wings.

Goad was able to combine well with an overlapping Steph Catley on the left, whilst Tabain and Lisa De Vanna combined on the right to cut through the Sydney defence.

Trudy Burke in goals was also able to shut down Sydney’s attacking incursions, ably protecting a clean sheet.

Whilst Victory failed to claim a point last round, they definitely managed to gain confidence and deliver above the expectations of many.

Hayley Raso, Christine Nairn, Thea Slatyer and Melissa Barbieri were key standouts on the day.

Barbieri and Slatyer were calm and composed during Perth’s onslaughts. Shots on goal were repelled on the goal line and launched Victory on more than one fast break.

Nairn and Raso connected in the midfield, with cohesion from the Washington Spirit teammates powerfully evident.

It would be improper to leave it there as the match was definitely a team effort, in particular with many newer players delivering on the day as well. Alex Natoli has developed her game impressively, Annabel Martin was captivating and Briar Palmer was compelling to watch.

This round might be a little different but it will also be shades of the same.

City will be significantly impacted by Matildas commitments, with four players unavailable whilst for Victory it will only be two with Raso and Nairn called up for duty for their respective nations.

Expectations are that this round will demonstrate the depth City has on their bench and it also presents a strong opportunity for Victory to steal the points based off their impressive result last week.

City will still have key players available including defender Rebekah Stott, Jackson and Luik in the midfield and the combination of Goad and Tabain up front.

Victory will be missing Raso for the match and Selin Kuralay for the season (ACL) but there are plenty of quality players and experience available.

Natoli, Martin and Palmer will all be important on the day whilst Laura Spiranovic and a replacement for Nairn will need to be influential if Victory are to be in with a chance.

The key battle in this match will be the midfield one with both teams looking to gain the advantage in the engine room. City have the edge in terms of experience but Victory have showed that they can control possession and the tempo of a match.

This is the first time these two teams will meet. An exciting inaugural derby. Some would say no history, but with off season player movements, there’s already a healthy rivalry.

Melbourne City v Melbourne Victory

Sunday 25 October 2015

AAMI Park, Melbourne

Local kick-off: 2.00pm

* Watch all the action Live from 2.00pm nationally on Fox Sports (Channel 505), or ABC TV. Or catch-up on ABC iView.

** Listen LIVE on TuneIn - http://tunein.com/radio/Melbourne-City-W-League-Live-s256286/

Melbourne City squad: 3. Alex Chidiac, 6. Aivi Luik, 12. Olivia Ellis, 13. Rebekah Stott, 14. Melina Ayres, 15. Amy Jackson, 16. Beatrice Goad, 17. Marianna Tabain, 18. Anisa Guajardo, 20. Trudy Burke (gk), 22. Hannah Brewer, 23. Tyla-Jay Vlajnic, 24. Racheal Quigley, 25. Tessa Sernio, 30. Kelsey Quinn (gk)

Ins: Hannah Brewer, Tyla-Jay Vlajnic, Racheal Quigley, Tessa Sernio (all promoted)

Outs: Laura Alleway, Steph Catley, Lisa De Vanna, Larissa Crummer (all Westfield Matildas duty)

Unavailable:  Brianna Davey, Monique Iannella, Kim Little, Jess Fishlock

Melbourne Victory squad: 1.Melissa Barbieri, 2. Annabel Martin, 3. Thea Slatyer, 4. Alexandra Natoli, 5. Brooke Elby, 6. Adriana Taranto, 7. Enza Barilla, 8. Whitney Knight, 9. Jamie Pollock, 10. MelindaJ Barbieri, 11. Briar Palmer, 12. Melissa Taranto, 13. Cassandra Dimovski, 14. Laura Spiranovic, 15. Jessica Pitts

Ins: Brooke Elby, Whitney Knight, Melissa Taranto (all promoted)

Outs: Christine Nairn (USA international duty), Hayley Raso (Westfield Matildas duty), Selin Kuralay (injured)

Unavailable: Gulcan Koca (injured)