Can Victory send Ange off a winner?

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THE Sydney derby headlines round three but massive mid-week news in the world of Australian football means all eyes will be on the "Ange Postecoglou testimonial" on Friday night, fittingly between the two A-League clubs he has coached.

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With the two-time A-League grand final winner taking up the challenge of re-building the Socceroos, round three will be his final match in charge of Melbourne Victory.

The Victory showed the might of their potential with a swashbuckling second-half at Coopers Stadium last week. 12 of their 17 shots came in the second term, as did five of their six corners and it will be interesting to see if Kosta Barbarouses and Gui Finkler - two of their second-half catalysts – make it into the starting XI.

It will be an emotional evening at Etihad Stadium.

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"I think it's important for Ange to leave the club with three points. I think personally it will be nice for him and nice for the players to send him off as a winner," Fox Sports football expert Mark Rudan said in his weekly preview.

"Ange is a winner ... and three points are at stake and that is much more important, especially for Victory yet to register first win."

The fact that Victory have not won this year wasn't lost on Roar boss Mike Mulvey.

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"I will tell you why it is big for them (Victory) because they haven't got a win on the board yet," he said.

"They have played two games and there were scenes of delirium last week when they got one point.

"We are going down there very, very confident.''

And so they should be. They destroyed Sydney FC and are showing the energy, tempo and fluency that were hallmarks of the Postecoglou era.

They've won five of their past six matches (dating back to last season), outscoring opposition 13-5 during that stretch. According to Fox Sports Stats, they've launched the most shots (32) and shots on target (18) in the league over the first two rounds, as well as the most goals, with six. All facets of play are bubbling nicely to start the season, with the Roar conceding the least goals, and fouls as well.

Plenty of pundits liked the look of their first XI, and there's no doubt that the return of former skipper Matt McKay into the heart of midfield is a big asset.

"(He) was fantastic against Sydney FC last week; industrious. Not only did he start play, he stopped play. He played 80 minutes and could have lasted the distance. Expect a big performance from Matty McKay," Rudan added.

Friday: Melbourne Victory v Brisbane, Fox Sports 1 HD, 7.30pm(EDT)

Saturday: Central Coast v Adelaide, 5.30pm; Sydney v Western Sydney, 7.30pm, FS1HD

Sunday: Wellington v Newcastle, 3pm, Perth v Melbourne Heart, 5pm, FS1HD

Kick Off on Friday night, 6.30, with special guest Michael Cockerill.

Shootout on Sunday night, 7pm, with Craig Moore and Tony Popovic.

Sunday: El Clasico, Barcelona v Real Madrid, 2.55am, FS2HD

Monday: Atletico Madrid v Real Betis, 6.55am, FS3HD

Saturday night: Crystal Palace v Arsenal, 10.30pm, FS1HD

Manchester United v Stoke, 12.50am, FS1 HD

Viewers' Choice: Norwich v Cardiff; Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa v Everton.

Southampton v Fulham, 3.30am, FS1HD

Sunday night/Monday morning: Sunderland v Newcastle, 12.30am, FS1HD

Chelsea v Manchester City, 2.50am, FS1HD

Tottenham v Hull, 2.50am, FS2HD

Swansea v West Ham United, 2.50am, FS3HD

Attention then turns to Saturday night's headline act, and Frank Farina has kept Sydney FC's fans hopes alive that Alessandro Del Piero will play some part in the derby, naming him in his squad for the round three blockbuster against Western Sydney Wanderers.

But the veteran Italian is struggling with a calf complaint, and the Sydney FC boss has already said he is putting his faith in Nicky Carle to provide the Sky Blues' creative spark.

"I think with Nicky, Richie and Joel, we've got the ammunition there," he said on Thursday.

"Nicky is a natural playmaker so we'll push him a little bit more forward into that natural No.10 for him.

"So hopefully a lot of that spark will come from him."

There's a lot for Sydney FC to prove and the box office stage of the derby provides the perfect platform for them to do it.

Not only do they need to rebound from a dire display against Brisbane Roar, where the side's structure and defensive stability looked all at sea, but they need to prove they can do it without their star man.

It doesn't look promising.

Not only was the marquee man involved in both of their goals in round one, but they've only won once without him. When the No.10 isn't there, the record isn't pretty – the four goals conceded when he came off last weekend isn't a one-off. Last term, there was a 7-2 loss to Central Coast in his absence, and a similar capitulation when he came off after 66 minutes against Melbourne Victory with the side 2-0 up. They lost 3-2.

Although the star attraction could be absent, the cauldron-like atmosphere at Allianz as two city rivals slug it out will be worth watching. Despite the criticism coming Sydney FC's way, they actually sit ahead of their city rivals on the table. They might have featured in two intense, entertaining draws to open the season, but the fact remains that Tony Popovic's side are yet to notch three points and sit behind their city rivals.

If they're looking for a spark, Brenton Santalab was impressive in his cameo last weekend against Wellington. Whether or not Popovic is tempted to throw him into the fray from the start against his former side will depend on a number of factors, Rudan says.

"I think Poppa's changed (his team) depending on the conditions, depending on whether they're home or away, whether the players are up to the task at hand, and depending on who the opposition is," Rudan said.

"He's been very good at that, he's not coach of the year for no reason last year."

For a preview of every A-League contest this round, check out our day by day video previews of the weekend, with Tara Rushton and Mark Rudan.

HAVE you checked out the Fox Football Podcast yet?

Episode one was a raging success and the latest addition to Fox Sports' football stable is back for its second edition.

Host Adam Peacock is joined this week by Simon Hill and Brenton Speed in the studio, and on the phone by Daniel Garb from London.

There's no shortage of fodder for the gang to discuss - from the incoming Socceroos' coach, to all things A-League, EPL and El Clasico - and none of our pundits are short of an opinion.

For your mid-week fix of football talk and fun - where else will you hear Simon Hill's Dutch accent - the Fox Football podcast is your place to go.

You can check it out here at the iTunes store, subscribe, and share your rating!

And if you're an Android user, you can find the pod on the iPP Podcast Player app.