Melbourne Victory midfielder Gui Finkler says the club is primed to bounce back after the disappointment of last week’s local derby loss when it hosts Newcastle Jets on Saturday night.
There will be no rest for a hurting Victory on Christmas Day – which will include a training session – after its A-League unbeaten run came to an end.
Victory tasted defeat for the first time this season in a 1-0 loss to cross-town rival Melbourne City.
Midfielder Gui Finkler said the disappointment of losing local bragging rights would spur on his side against the Jets.
“It’s not good to get the first loss, but we knew one day it could happen,” Finkler said.
“Now we’re just looking forward to Saturday and we’ll work even harder to make sure we perform better than we did.
“The derby is a special game and everyone wants to win, but we didn’t get the points. We move on and make sure we get back to the performances that we’ve had in the beginning of the season.”
The derby marked Finkler’s return from a groin injury with Kevin Muscat bringing the Brazilian off the bench.
“I felt pretty good when I came on,” Finkler said.
“I’ve been training hard this week and last week too and my body is feeling much better than it was.
“I think I needed that break and now I’m feeling fresh.”
Saturday’s game at AAMI Park is the third in a run of four matches played in Victoria, with Muscat’s men desperate to better capitalise after taking just one point from the first two fixtures.
“We still have another two games at home and we want to make sure we get as many points as we can,” Finkler said.
“It’s going to be a tough match, but we’re looking forward to it.
“They won their last game and got their confidence back, but we’ll just focus on our game and our structure.”
source: theworldgame.sbs.com.au
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