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Kurz expecting Victory's momentum to last

3 minute read

Melbourne Victory have had a week off following their uplifting A-League derby win against City, but coach Marco Kurz thinks the bye came at the right time.

Coach MARCO KURZ.
Coach MARCO KURZ. Picture: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Melbourne Victory coach Marco Kurz has no concerns about his team's A-League momentum failing to carry over into the New Year.

The Victory's inconsistent campaign hit a high before Christmas, when they secured a vital 2-1 derby win against Melbourne City before heading into a bye.

Rather than worry about the squad losing focus, Kurz believes the break came at an ideal time before they host cellar-dwellers Newcastle at AAMI Park on Sunday.

The Victory could jump into the top-six with a win, if other results go their way, though a loss against the Jets would leave them languishing near the bottom.

"Every team has three byes, we had ours during Christmas; I think it was not too bad for the boys to reload the batteries," Kurz said.

The Victory haven't played the Jets since August, when they lost in a FFA Cup game at home 3-2.

Despite Newcastle notching up just two wins this season, Kurz says the Jets are still a dangerous team, particularly with the Victory missing captain Ola Toivonen through suspension.

"(The Jets are) a very experienced team from the back," he said.

"We have to perform very well, in the same way as against City, to have a chance at getting the three points."

Meanwhile, Newcastle travel to Melbourne unchanged from the squad that drew 1-1 with Brisbane last week.

Captain Nigel Boogaard will sit on the sidelines for another week while he recovers from an abductor injury.

Despite their difficult season so far, goalkeeper Glen Moss thinks the Jets are capable of peaking at the right time.

"We know there's a lot of talent in the squad, it's just a matter of how we get the best out of that talent," he said.

"I think we're coming good at the right time of the season."

Victory, City and Western United will also donate $2 from every ticket sold to their matches this weekend towards bushfire relief.

STATS THAT MATTER

* Victory are undefeated in their last four A-League matches against Newcastle Jets at AAMI Park. The Jets did win a FFA Cup game at the venue in August.

* Newcastle (four) and Victory (three) have conceded the most goals from outside the box of any teams this season.

* Victory are undefeated in their last two A-League games. It's been almost a year (January-February 2019) since they had a longer unbeaten run (five games).

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