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If Melbourne Victory are going to make an unlikely charge for the Premiers' Plate, they simply must take all three points when they travel to Sydney to take on the top-of the-table Sky Blues on Friday night.
As it stands, Victory are eight points behind Sydney in the battle for top spot with seven matches remaining. A loss would see them 11 points adrift with six matches remaining, a situation that would all but guarantee Sydney FC the silverware.
A Victory win would cut the lead to five and would give them a distinct psychological edge ahead of the finals even if they don't bridge the points gap before the end of the season.