Head-to-head

Played 21: Melbourne 13 wins, Adelaide United 5 wins, 3 draws
Previous Meeting
Melbourne Victory 2, Adelaide United 0, Etihad Stadium, January 23, 2010

History
Melbourne and Adelaide have possibly the fiercest rivalry in the A-League with many memorable and classic battles since the competition's inception. Who can forget the touchline tangle between Victory skipper Kevin Muscat and United's then coach John Kosmina in the Round 8 match of the 2006-07 season - which coincidentally, was the last time United beat the Victory in Melbourne, the match finishing 1-0? And then there's the Grand Final of that season - Victory romped home with a 6-0 win to be crowned champions as Archie Thompson destroyed United with five goals and Reds captain Ross Aloisi was shown the red card after the half hour. Two years later Melbourne were at it again, winning their second grand final against the Reds 1-0 with United's Cristiano sent off inside the opening 10 minutes.

Past five matches: Season So Far
Melbourne Victory: DDLWL
Adelaide United: DWWDW

Match Committee
Melbourne welcome back Surat Sukha from injury while Peter Franjic and Diogo Ferreira have been promoted to Victory's extended squad with four to be omitted before Saturday night's game.
Archie Thompson is still two to three weeks away but will more than likely return in a month while the prognosis is the same for Matthew Kemp, after the pair suffered major knee injuries last season.
Adelaide United regain the services of Young Socceroo Matthew Leckie who was a late withdrawal from the Reds 3-0 demolition of Wellington last week. United lose Travis Dodd though, who limped off in injury time against Phoenix with an Achilles injury while Daniel Mullen is sidelined for three weeks after injuring his ankle at training. Cameron Watson has been re-signed on another short term contract. Nigel Boogaard (ankle) and Lloyd Owusu (knee) are still on the long term injury list.

Danger men
Carlos Hernandez has destroyed Adelaide United in almost every match he has played against the Reds. His range of passing, skill, trickery and goal scoring ability make him Victory's most dangerous player. Although the Costa Rican has endured a slow start to the season, last year's Johnny Warren Medal winner is beginning to find that player-of-the-year form again after starring and scoring in the Victory's 3-0 win against Sydney.
Adelaide have their own star South American playmaker and Marcos Flores has the wood over Hernandez this season in terms of influence. The Argentine has found the back of the net three times so far, with a couple of contenders for goal of the year, while also earning two assists. Flores's repertoire is also filled with deadly passing, fantastic vision and sublime skill.

At the end of the day….
The inclusion of Leckie is a huge bonus for United who will bolster the Reds attacking stocks. The loss of Dodd could be a factor with the captain giving the Reds a massive spark coming off the bench against Phoenix last week. Victory's outstanding record against United speaks for itself and there is no question the Reds have been psychologically scarred from the 6-0 Grand Final thrashing. But, with United topping the league and still undefeated, they look nothing like the wooden spoon team they were last season. Under Dutchman Rini Coolen the Reds are playing beautiful attacking football and this could be the perfect opportunity to snap the nine-game losing streak against their  fiercest rival.

TEAMS:
Adelaide United squad: 1.Eugene GALEKOVIC (gk), 2.Robert CORNTHWAITE, 4.Iain FYFE, 6.CASSIO, 7.Lucas PANTELIS (c), 8.Adam HUGHES, 9.Sergio VAN DIJK, 10.Marcos FLORES, 12.Paul REID, 16.Inseob SHIN, 17.Iain RAMSAY, 18.Fabian BARBIERO, 19.Mathew LECKIE, 20.Mark BIRIGHITTI (gk), 24.Cameron WATSON
In: Cameron WATSON (short term contract)
Out: Daniel MULLEN (ankle – 3 weeks), Travis DODD (achilles – 1 week)
Unavailable: Nigel BOOGAARD (ankle – 3 weeks), Lloyd OWUSU (knee – indefinite)

Melbourne Victory squad: 1.Michael PETKOVIC (gk), 2. Kevin MUSCAT (c), 3.Mate DUGANDZIC, 4.Petar FRANJIC, 5.Surat SUKHA, 6.Leigh BROXHAM, 8.Grant BREBNER, 9.RICARDINHO, 11.Marvin ANGULO, 12.Rodrigo VARGAS, 13.Diogo FERREIRA, 14.Billy CELESKI, 15.Tom PONDELJAK, 16.Carlos HERNANDEZ, 19.Evan BERGER, 20.Sebastian MATTEI (gk), 21.Robbie KRUSE, 23.Adrian LEIJER, 27.Geoff KELLAWAY
*four to be omitted*
In: Surat SUKHA (returns from injury), Petar FRANJIC (promoted), Diogo FERREIRA (promoted), Marvin ANGULO (promoted)
Out: Nil
Unavailable: Archie THOMPSON (knee – 2-3 weeks), Matthew KEMP (knee – 2-4 weeks)