Melbourne City Coach Vidmar Confident That Comeback Will Boost Confidence Ahead of Finals

Melbourne City coach Aurelio Vidmar was pleased with his team’s resilience in coming back from a two-goal deficit to secure a 2-2 draw against Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday. His focus remains on guiding the club towards a berth in next season’s Asian Champions League Elite.

This draw, featuring goals from Kai Trewin on either side of half-time, keeps Melbourne City firmly in second place on the A-League ladder with just two matches left in the regular season. Securing victories in both fixtures will see the club qualify for the continental championship.

Auckland FC currently tops the A-League by a six-point margin. However, as Steve Corica’s side is ineligible for Asian competition due to their base in Oceania, the highest-ranked Australian team will qualify for next year’s AFC Champions League.

“It’s really all in our hands,” remarked Vidmar, whose side holds a slender one-point advantage over third-placed Western United.

“There are no easy fixtures; we face Adelaide United next week, followed by our final match against Sydney. It’s a challenging draw, but regardless of the opponent, we need to perform at our very best to secure victories.

“However, this (performance) boosts our confidence. We’ve had solid results over the last six or seven weeks—probably even longer—which builds confidence and fortifies our squad.“

The stalemate between City and the Wanderers means that A-League newcomers Auckland will have to wait at least another week to officially seal the Premiership title, despite their 2-0 victory over Melbourne Victory.

Vidmar’s side has risen to the challenge even in the absence of key players like Andrew Nabbout and Jimmy Jeggo. The coach remains optimistic about the potential return of striker Mathew Leckie before the end of the regular season.

“We’re a significantly stronger team with (Leckie) on the field,” Vidmar said of the Australian international. “With a little bit of luck and effort, I hope (he’ll be fit to play in the) Sydney game, our last fixture.“