Wrexham’s pre-season tour of Australia continues on Friday with a high-profile friendly against Melbourne Victory at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. This is part of Wrexham’s “Town Down Under” tour as they prepare for life in the English Championship, while Victory test themselves against a side fresh from back-to-back promotions.
Wrexham finished second in League One last season, securing automatic promotion to the Championship. Their record of W27-D11-L8 was built on excellent away form, where they won 16 of 23 matches and conceded just 15 goals. However, their underlying numbers were more modest, ranking ninth on xPTS and posting 55.5 xG while conceding 45.5 xGA, which suggests they slightly overperformed. Even so, their defensive discipline and ability to win tight games made them formidable opponents, especially away from home.
Melbourne Victory are coming off a strong A-League season in which they reached the Grand Final, narrowly losing 1-0 to Melbourne City. Their league record was W12-D7-L7, good enough for fifth place, but they ranked second on xPTS They were especially hard to break down at home, losing just twice and conceding only 16 goals in 13 home matches. Victory also stood out for their ability to control games, finishing third in the league for shots and shots on target while allowing the second fewest at the other end.
Both sides arrive with confidence, and the match should offer an intriguing contrast between Victory’s ball dominance and Wrexham’s compact, efficient style.
How the bookies view it: Wrexham favoured to get the win
We can see that the odds on Wrexham to win are 6/10 at BoyleSports, so the Wales team are the obvious favourites to win this match. Meanwhile, both draw and Melbourne win are priced at 13/5, also at BoyleSports.
Head to Head: First meeting
There is no previous competitive head-to-head record between Melbourne Victory and Wrexham. This match at Marvel Stadium on Friday will be the first time the two clubs have ever faced each other.
Players to watch: Hardie to start with bang
Ryan Hardie joined Wrexham this summer after a solid individual campaign with Plymouth Argyle, despite the team’s relegation from the Championship. Plymouth struggled throughout the season, yet Hardie stood out for his work rate and ability to create chances even in a struggling side.
He made 28 starts and a further nine appearances from the bench, recording 60 shots, of which 21 were on target, and contributing 10 goals and three assists. He managed to take at least one shot in 23 of his 28 starts, showing consistent involvement in the final third.
Even though Plymouth’s attack often lacked support and service, Hardie’s movement, physical presence and willingness to shoot kept him as a threat. His return of 10 goals was close to his expected output and shows his reliability in front of goal.
At Wrexham, with better support around him and a team on the front foot more often, his numbers could improve further. His proven ability to get into shooting positions regularly and convert at a respectable rate suggests he could quickly become an important part of their attack.
Predicted line-ups
Melbourne Victory: Langerak; Hamill, Broxham, Traore, Geria; Machach, Brillante, Arzani; Velupillay, Folami, Ikonomidis
Wrexham (4-3-3): Ward; Cleworth, Dobson, O’Connell, Revan; James, Lee, McClean; Hardie, Smith, Palmer
Anything else catch the eye?
This friendly looks well set up for both teams to find the net. Wrexham are likely to approach it with more freedom than they show in competitive league matches. Their pre-season tour is as much about entertaining and sharpening attacking patterns as it is about results, and they have plenty of firepower in the squad. Players like James McClean, Ryan Hardie and Jack Marriott all bring directness and finishing ability, which should translate well even against organised opposition.
Melbourne Victory, meanwhile, will see this as a showcase opportunity. Their creative players thrive at home, and friendlies tend to be more open than competitive fixtures. They showed last season that they are capable of sustaining pressure and creating chances against high-level opposition, and the added motivation of playing in front of a large crowd at Marvel Stadium should give them extra energy.
In addition, defensive intensity and structure are usually not at full strength during pre-season, which opens up spaces and increases the likelihood of goals. With both sides possessing quality attackers and having reason to attack rather than sit back, backing both teams to score makes a lot of sense.
GambleAware