Latest news with #NishanVelupillay
Daily Telegraph
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Telegraph
A-League: Mathew Leckie chasing grand final glory
Don't miss out on the headlines from Football. Followed categories will be added to My News. Socceroos stalwart Mathew Leckie has put his hand up to start for Melbourne City in Saturday night's A-League decider as he hopes for 'third time lucky' in his quest for grand final glory. However, while Leckie believes he's not only fit enough to start, but also play a major role in the AAMI Park showdown, Melbourne Victory star Nishan Velupillay is doubtful to be involved due to the ankle injury he suffered last Saturday in his side's semi-final second-leg success against Auckland FC. Attacking weapon Velupillay was seen jogging during the early stages of the Victory's Friday morning training session at the grand final venue. But it's unlikely Victory coach Arthur Diles will gamble with the fitness of Velupillay in a match were no passengers can be afforded. While it's likely to be bad news for Velupillay, Leckie has timed his return to fitness and form to perfection. The 34-year-old veteran, now being used in the midfield rather than on a wing, has made just five starting appearances for City this season due to frustrating injury problems. However, he has featured in City's past three games off the bench, found the back of net and gradually built up his game time with each match. 'It's the most important game of the season and after this there's a break,' Leckie said. 'You work hard all season to get to this point, and I'm sure everyone's going to put their hand up (to start), and I'm one of them. 'I'm willing to go out there and just play until I can. Whether that's to make an impact off the bench or to start a game and see how long I can play, I'm ready for both.' Leckie is desperate for grand final success, having played in City's losses in the 2022 and 2023 deciders. 'I came back (to the A-League from Germany) wanting to be successful,' he said. 'I think I came back at a good age, and the one thing that I haven't been able to do is win a grand final, so third time lucky. 'We've had a really consistent season and if we can play to the best of our ability and put it all together, I think we've got a real strong chance.' Leckie said the fact the decider was also a Melbourne derby would add the occasion and atmosphere in front of a sellout crowd of almost 30,000. 'There's nothing better than a full stadium and the experience of being out there to compete on that stage,' he said. '(To) potentially do something special is all the motivation every player needs to go out there and give everything. 'We understand Victory's strengths and they're a quality side. They've also got the right mentality and the players to give us a hard time, so we've got to be on our game.' Victory left-back Kasey Bos is expected to play after being sidelined last weekend due to a lower leg injury. Originally published as Melbourne City's Mathew Leckie keen for an elusive A-League grand final win
News.com.au
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Melbourne City's Mathew Leckie keen for an elusive A-League grand final win
Socceroos stalwart Mathew Leckie has put his hand up to start for Melbourne City in Saturday night's A-League decider as he hopes for 'third time lucky' in his quest for grand final glory. However, while Leckie believes he's not only fit enough to start, but also play a major role in the AAMI Park showdown, Melbourne Victory star Nishan Velupillay is doubtful to be involved due to the ankle injury he suffered last Saturday in his side's semi-final second-leg success against Auckland FC. Attacking weapon Velupillay was seen jogging during the early stages of the Victory's Friday morning training session at the grand final venue. But it's unlikely Victory coach Arthur Diles will gamble with the fitness of Velupillay in a match were no passengers can be afforded. While it's likely to be bad news for Velupillay, Leckie has timed his return to fitness and form to perfection. The 34-year-old veteran, now being used in the midfield rather than on a wing, has made just five starting appearances for City this season due to frustrating injury problems. However, he has featured in City's past three games off the bench, found the back of net and gradually built up his game time with each match. Tilio 🆚 Arzani. This is a head-to-head battle you don't want to miss! âš'ï¸� Two of the A-Leagues most creative players are set to face off in the Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final 2025. ðŸ'° Watch it live on Channel 10, Paramount+, 10 Play & 10 Bold (WA only). — Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) May 30, 2025 'It's the most important game of the season and after this there's a break,' Leckie said. 'You work hard all season to get to this point, and I'm sure everyone's going to put their hand up (to start), and I'm one of them. 'I'm willing to go out there and just play until I can. Whether that's to make an impact off the bench or to start a game and see how long I can play, I'm ready for both.' Leckie is desperate for grand final success, having played in City's losses in the 2022 and 2023 deciders. 'I came back (to the A-League from Germany) wanting to be successful,' he said. 'I think I came back at a good age, and the one thing that I haven't been able to do is win a grand final, so third time lucky. 'We've had a really consistent season and if we can play to the best of our ability and put it all together, I think we've got a real strong chance.' Leckie said the fact the decider was also a Melbourne derby would add the occasion and atmosphere in front of a sellout crowd of almost 30,000. 'There's nothing better than a full stadium and the experience of being out there to compete on that stage,' he said. '(To) potentially do something special is all the motivation every player needs to go out there and give everything. 'We understand Victory's strengths and they're a quality side. They've also got the right mentality and the players to give us a hard time, so we've got to be on our game.' Victory left-back Kasey Bos is expected to play after being sidelined last weekend due to a lower leg injury.
The Advertiser
28-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
'50-50': Victory mull grand final call on injured stars
Melbourne Victory will give Socceroos attacker Nishan Velupillay until the 11th hour to prove his fitness for the A-League Men grand final. Velupillay was forced off the field with a right ankle injury in Victory's stirring 2-0 away win over Auckland that booked their passage to Saturday's sold out blockbuster grand final at AAMI Park. The 24-year-old was on crutches and in a moonboot on Tuesday, casting doubt over both his involvement against Melbourne City on Saturday and for the Socceroos' upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Japan and Saudi Arabia. "We're not sure yet. It's still early," Victory coach Arthur Diles said. "We'll give him to the 11th hour and we'll make that decision on Friday. But at this stage, it's probably 50-50. "He's walking better, but one thing's to walk and one thing's to be up for a final. "In terms of general walking, he is better, significant improvement in that regard. "But still way too early to have a clear indication." Skipper Roderick Miranda and his teammates are rallying around Velupillay, who is yet to train this week. "Everybody will expect Nish to come but I think it's a daily process," he said. "Hopefully tomorrow he feels better, the day after better and after, I think we'll take it from there. "But for now, just hoping he feels better. That's the most important, to feel healthy, and if he's able to play, we are more than happy to have him. "If not, I know he'll be one of the extra 1000s around to help us. So got fingers crossed." Goalkeeper Mitch Langerak is pushing to return from a foot injury and trained in boots at open training on Tuesday - though he has worked solo rather than with fellow shot-stopper Jack Duncan. "He did a little bit yesterday, he did a little bit more today," Diles said. "We'll see tomorrow how he pulls up, because it'll be first time he's done two days back back to back. So it'll be a big test for him." Kasey Bos (heel) and Adama Traore (calf) are both expected to be fit. City are ready for their nominally "home" grand final to be dominated by Victory fans and will embrace the occasion. "I still can't believe, after 20 years, it's the first derby in the grand final," coach Aurelio Vidmar said. "You know what the derby is always like. They're always intense. There's always something happening that can be explosive. "So we just have to try to prepare for anything and everything ... whatever happens on the night, we'll be ready." Captain Aziz Behich, a proud Melburnian, said: "I'm expecting the atmosphere to be unbelievable. "It's massive ... We're excited. It's perfect for Australian football." Melbourne Victory will give Socceroos attacker Nishan Velupillay until the 11th hour to prove his fitness for the A-League Men grand final. Velupillay was forced off the field with a right ankle injury in Victory's stirring 2-0 away win over Auckland that booked their passage to Saturday's sold out blockbuster grand final at AAMI Park. The 24-year-old was on crutches and in a moonboot on Tuesday, casting doubt over both his involvement against Melbourne City on Saturday and for the Socceroos' upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Japan and Saudi Arabia. "We're not sure yet. It's still early," Victory coach Arthur Diles said. "We'll give him to the 11th hour and we'll make that decision on Friday. But at this stage, it's probably 50-50. "He's walking better, but one thing's to walk and one thing's to be up for a final. "In terms of general walking, he is better, significant improvement in that regard. "But still way too early to have a clear indication." Skipper Roderick Miranda and his teammates are rallying around Velupillay, who is yet to train this week. "Everybody will expect Nish to come but I think it's a daily process," he said. "Hopefully tomorrow he feels better, the day after better and after, I think we'll take it from there. "But for now, just hoping he feels better. That's the most important, to feel healthy, and if he's able to play, we are more than happy to have him. "If not, I know he'll be one of the extra 1000s around to help us. So got fingers crossed." Goalkeeper Mitch Langerak is pushing to return from a foot injury and trained in boots at open training on Tuesday - though he has worked solo rather than with fellow shot-stopper Jack Duncan. "He did a little bit yesterday, he did a little bit more today," Diles said. "We'll see tomorrow how he pulls up, because it'll be first time he's done two days back back to back. So it'll be a big test for him." Kasey Bos (heel) and Adama Traore (calf) are both expected to be fit. City are ready for their nominally "home" grand final to be dominated by Victory fans and will embrace the occasion. "I still can't believe, after 20 years, it's the first derby in the grand final," coach Aurelio Vidmar said. "You know what the derby is always like. They're always intense. There's always something happening that can be explosive. "So we just have to try to prepare for anything and everything ... whatever happens on the night, we'll be ready." Captain Aziz Behich, a proud Melburnian, said: "I'm expecting the atmosphere to be unbelievable. "It's massive ... We're excited. It's perfect for Australian football." Melbourne Victory will give Socceroos attacker Nishan Velupillay until the 11th hour to prove his fitness for the A-League Men grand final. Velupillay was forced off the field with a right ankle injury in Victory's stirring 2-0 away win over Auckland that booked their passage to Saturday's sold out blockbuster grand final at AAMI Park. The 24-year-old was on crutches and in a moonboot on Tuesday, casting doubt over both his involvement against Melbourne City on Saturday and for the Socceroos' upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Japan and Saudi Arabia. "We're not sure yet. It's still early," Victory coach Arthur Diles said. "We'll give him to the 11th hour and we'll make that decision on Friday. But at this stage, it's probably 50-50. "He's walking better, but one thing's to walk and one thing's to be up for a final. "In terms of general walking, he is better, significant improvement in that regard. "But still way too early to have a clear indication." Skipper Roderick Miranda and his teammates are rallying around Velupillay, who is yet to train this week. "Everybody will expect Nish to come but I think it's a daily process," he said. "Hopefully tomorrow he feels better, the day after better and after, I think we'll take it from there. "But for now, just hoping he feels better. That's the most important, to feel healthy, and if he's able to play, we are more than happy to have him. "If not, I know he'll be one of the extra 1000s around to help us. So got fingers crossed." Goalkeeper Mitch Langerak is pushing to return from a foot injury and trained in boots at open training on Tuesday - though he has worked solo rather than with fellow shot-stopper Jack Duncan. "He did a little bit yesterday, he did a little bit more today," Diles said. "We'll see tomorrow how he pulls up, because it'll be first time he's done two days back back to back. So it'll be a big test for him." Kasey Bos (heel) and Adama Traore (calf) are both expected to be fit. City are ready for their nominally "home" grand final to be dominated by Victory fans and will embrace the occasion. "I still can't believe, after 20 years, it's the first derby in the grand final," coach Aurelio Vidmar said. "You know what the derby is always like. They're always intense. There's always something happening that can be explosive. "So we just have to try to prepare for anything and everything ... whatever happens on the night, we'll be ready." Captain Aziz Behich, a proud Melburnian, said: "I'm expecting the atmosphere to be unbelievable. "It's massive ... We're excited. It's perfect for Australian football."
News.com.au
28-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Nishan Velupillay to be given until ‘11th hour' to prove his fitness for A-League decider
Socceroos star Nishan Velupillay is a '50-50' prospect for Saturday night's A-League grand final, while his Melbourne Victory teammate Mitch Langerak is making a late push for selection in the derby decider against Melbourne City. Attacking weapon Velupillay injured his right ankle in the Victory's semi-final success in Auckland last Saturday, and seemed little chance to of playing this weekend at AAMI Park. However, Victory coach Arthur Diles is set to give one of his prized assets as much time as possible to prove his fitness. 'We'll give him to the 11th hour … but at this stage, it's probably 50-50,' Diles said on Wednesday. 'He's walking better, but one thing is to walk, and one thing is to be up for a final. '(It is) still way too early to have a clear indication.' Former Socceroos goalkeeper Langerak has missed the Victory's past five matches with a foot injury, with Jack Duncan deputising for the 36-year-old gloveman. 'He did a little bit (on Tuesday), he did a little bit more (on Wednesday)' Diles said of Langerak. 'We'll see (on Thursday) how he pulls up, because it'll be first time he's done two days back-to-back, so it'll be a big test for him.' Left-back Kasey Bos, who missed last Saturday's 2-0 semi-final second-leg win over Auckland FC with a heel injury, is expected to be available for the final. A full house of close to 30,000 is expected at AAMI Park, with the Victory set to have the majority of the support. However, City coach Aurelio Vidmar urged his side to 'embrace' the occasion and a pro-Victory atmosphere. 'You can't run away from it,' Vidmar said. 'You know what the derby is always like. They're always intense. There's always something happening that can be explosive, so we just have to try to prepare for anything and everything. 'Whatever happens on the night, we'll be ready. They'll have the majority share of the crowd but our fans have fans have been there from the very first day … and we expect them to support us right to the end.' Despite the Victory's heroics in Auckland, where they defied the odds to end the Black Knights' hopes of a premiership-championship double, Vidmar's men are full of confidence heading into the decider. City finished second on the ladder, five points clear of their Melbourne rivals. 'There's no question they're a very strong outfit but we're also a very strong outfit and we deserve to be where we are today, and we deserve to be fighting it out in that last game on Saturday night,' Vidmar said. 'There are always going to be moments in games, and you have to try to manage those moments as best you can. 'We want to be the aggressor. That's the way we play, that's the team's identity and we'll continue to do that.'
West Australian
28-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
'50-50': Victory mull grand final call on injured stars
Melbourne Victory will give Socceroos attacker Nishan Velupillay until the 11th hour to prove his fitness for the A-League Men grand final. Velupillay was forced off the field with a right ankle injury in Victory's stirring 2-0 away win over Auckland that booked their passage to Saturday's sold out blockbuster grand final at AAMI Park. The 24-year-old was on crutches and in a moonboot on Tuesday, casting doubt over both his involvement against Melbourne City on Saturday and for the Socceroos' upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Japan and Saudi Arabia. "We're not sure yet. It's still early," Victory coach Arthur Diles said. "We'll give him to the 11th hour and we'll make that decision on Friday. But at this stage, it's probably 50-50. "He's walking better, but one thing's to walk and one thing's to be up for a final. "In terms of general walking, he is better, significant improvement in that regard. "But still way too early to have a clear indication." Skipper Roderick Miranda and his teammates are rallying around Velupillay, who is yet to train this week. "Everybody will expect Nish to come but I think it's a daily process," he said. "Hopefully tomorrow he feels better, the day after better and after, I think we'll take it from there. "But for now, just hoping he feels better. That's the most important, to feel healthy, and if he's able to play, we are more than happy to have him. "If not, I know he'll be one of the extra 1000s around to help us. So got fingers crossed." Goalkeeper Mitch Langerak is pushing to return from a foot injury and trained in boots at open training on Tuesday - though he has worked solo rather than with fellow shot-stopper Jack Duncan. "He did a little bit yesterday, he did a little bit more today," Diles said. "We'll see tomorrow how he pulls up, because it'll be first time he's done two days back back to back. So it'll be a big test for him." Kasey Bos (heel) and Adama Traore (calf) are both expected to be fit. City are ready for their nominally "home" grand final to be dominated by Victory fans and will embrace the occasion. "I still can't believe, after 20 years, it's the first derby in the grand final," coach Aurelio Vidmar said. "You know what the derby is always like. They're always intense. There's always something happening that can be explosive. "So we just have to try to prepare for anything and everything ... whatever happens on the night, we'll be ready." Captain Aziz Behich, a proud Melburnian, said: "I'm expecting the atmosphere to be unbelievable. "It's massive ... We're excited. It's perfect for Australian football."
