Friday, 8 May 2009 10:27 AM
After an uninspiring draw last weekend, South Melbourne FC will be out to consolidate second position on the table against the highly rated former champions Altona Magic on Sunday.
Since dropping the opening two games of the season, South has gone on a seven game unbeaten run, with the lakeside team also dominating their attacking end, scoring 19 goals in those 7 unbeaten games. With Goran Zoric and Vaughan Coveny once again expected to lead the charge in this part of the ground, South will be looking to assert their attacking dominance from the outset.
Sitting just behind these two will be Fernando De Moraes, with the Brazilian about to join a unique and prestigious club in playing his 100th club game for South Melbourne FC. Since being recruited by the club in 2005, Fernando has asserted himself as one of the premier midfielders in the competition, with his silky skills and ability to score important goals something that stands out.
The current Futsalroo will be supported in the middle of the park by the hard working trio of Sebastian Petrovic, Joseph Youssef and captain Rama Tavsancioglu, who is starting to relish his role with the armband.
In defence, former Altona Magic club captain Stiven Mrkela is likely to retain his position in the heart of the defence along side Steven O’Dor, with Rhodri Payne and Shane Nunes also part of the back four.
Despite a relatively slow start to 2009, Altona Magic have snuck under the radar of many football pundits to join South in equal second on the table.
In an impressive starting line-up, Altona Magic coach Vlado Tortevski is likely to rely heavily on the services of four former South Melbourne players that include the defensive trio of Steve Laurie, Con Anthopoulos and Carl Recchia, whilst the very dangerous Michael Curcija up front will look to score against his former club.
In his 6 seasons at the club, Curcija amassed 143 games as a player and managed to find the net on 53 occasions. He also managed to score South Melbourne’s final ever NSL goal in the 2003/04 season, after scoring the opening goal in the minor semi final against Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium.
Sunday’s game kicks-off at 4pm and all South Melbourne FC members, sponsors and supporters are urged to attend and support the boys in their attempts to clinch another home victory.