No Victory grudges for Ben Khalfallah

THERE will be nothing personal when Fahid Ben Khalfallah lines up against former ALeague club Melbourne Victory for the first time.

The veteran winger almost made his return to Etihad Stadium wearing Brisbane colours last month, only to suffer an injury in the warm-up.

Ben Khalfallah will have another chance on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium, where the misfiring heavyweights will go head to head in search of a third win in 11 games.

It has been seven months since he was discarded by Kevin Muscat at the end of last season, having fallen out of favour with his Victory coach.

It followed a somewhat tense few months in which the Tunisian was effectively frozen out of the squad so as not to trigger an automatic contract renewal, before playing out the season and being released.

Seven months on, the 35year-old insists there are no illfeelings towards Muscat, or any extra motivation.

“Everyone knows the story I had there,” Ben Khalfallah said. “Everyone knows I spent three years there and had an amazing time, but today I play for Brisbane Roar.

“I still have friends there (at Victory) and a lot of people I respect, but it’s another game.”

He has missed the past two games with a quad injury but hopes to return in a bid to keep Roar inside the top six.

A comeback would be timely given the hamstring problem suffered by star Frenchman Eric Bautheac in last weekend’s dour stalemate with Wellington, while Danish midfielder Thomas Kristensen remains on coach John Aloisi’s extensive injury list.

It is all Ben Khalfallah could muster as an explanation for the club’s pedestrian start.

“We don’t have eight or nine players, and I’m not talking about young players but very important players,” he said.