Patrick Kisnorbo to face former club in Melbourne Derby match

“I’m a professional”

Melbourne Derby matches are always some of the biggest matches of the A-League season. A former City man leading the Victory has added an extra level of intrigue. According to Kisnorbo though, this is just another match to him.

“I’m a professional,” the former City boss said to the media this week ahead of the Melbourne Derby.

“Regardless of my past, I’m just concentrating on where I am now, and that’s at Melbourne Victory, and I’m trying to do the best I can for the club, the team and the fans."

Kisnorbo did eventually admit that there is a chance that this match does end up feeling different than others due to his past with Melbourne City. The former Socceroos defender explained that he really wouldn’t know until after the game.

“This is my first time (coaching against Melbourne City) so I could probably speak to you after the game about that feeling because I’ve never ever felt that,” Kisnorbo admitted.

“Right now, it’s just about me trying to prepare my players as best as I can for Saturday.”

City connections run deep with Victory boss

Kisnorbo joined Melbourne City as a player in 2013. After retiring in 2016, he immediately took a job coaching in City’s youth academy. He then progressed through the ranks to an assistant coach for the women’s team. Kisnorbo briefly led the Women’s side before joining the men’s coaching staff in 2018.

In total, Kisnorbo played or coached at Melbourne City for close to a decade, before joining Troyes. He was sacked from the French side after just a year at the club.

Melbourne Derby preview

Both Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory are among the favourites to win the A-League this season. PlayUp gives City $5.50 chances of winning the Grand Final next year. The Victory have $6.50 odds of winning. Only Sydney FC ($5) have better chances than the Melbourne clubs.

The Melbourne Derby betting odds are just as tight as the Grand Final odds. Most soccer betting outfits have made the Victory slight favourites. The betting sites also think this will be a low-scoring match. The over/under has been set at just 2.5 goals.

The Victory drew their first match of the season 0-0 against the Mariners. City, meanwhile, picked up a 1-0 win over the Jets in A-League Matchweek 1. The Melbourne Derby match is set to kick off at 7:35 PM on Saturday at AAMI Park in Melbourne.