Cahill dilemma for coach
Franjic in but Jakobsen out again for City
MELBOURNE City will leave key defender Michael Jakobsen on ice, resting him for challenges ahead rather than its ALeague match with competition leader Sydney FC tonight.
The showdown comes too soon for Jakobsen, who has missed the past two matches with a calf strain.
But those at AAMI Park could see the return of Ivan Franjic and a first start for Tim Cahill for a month.
The Socceroo pair have proven their fitness and it is now a selection issue for City coach Michael Valkanis.
Injuries and suspensions have meant a serious dose of player rotation for City. And the tricky thing is, players who have come in for senior players have shown their quality.
Nick Fitzgerald and Anthony Caceres were excellent against Wellington last week in City’s 5-1 drubbing.
But will Valkanis back Cahill to deliver against the league leader — as he did in the FFA Cup final win in November — by starting him? Valkanis was playful on the matter.
“It is a big game and Timmy is a big-game player,” he said. “He’s in the squad. He’s involved and I’m sure he’ll play.
“He’s not necessarily just used as an impact player. There will be games — maybe tomorrow — where he’ll be used from the start.
“We go by performance and training and what the game will require on a game-bygame situation.”
City boasts a five-game unbeaten streak over the Sky Blues and can look back on its Cup win.
However, Valkanis said to do so would be folly, arguing the loss to Western Sydney last week would only strengthen Sydney’s resolve.
“They are a very good team. They’re not vulnerable,” he said. “They’ve got a very good coach in Graham Arnold ... they’re the best team in Australia at the moment and the fact they’ve lost one game doesn’t mean anything.
“We can’t dwell in the past in winning a Cup final. That was a long time ago. It was great winning that final but we’ve moved on.”
Valkanis said he was content to play the long game with Jakobsen, given the calf has forced him out of games through the season.
“We were hoping he could be back. We’ve got to be careful with him knowing we’re in the final straight with seven games to go. We need to do our due diligence with him and get him 100 per cent,” he said.