Tim Cahill might not be the only debutant in Saturday night’s Melbourne derby, with teenager Seb Pasquali named in the Victory’s A-League squad for the first time by coach Kevin Muscat.
The 16-year-old is an outside chance of debuting in front of a crowd close to 50,000 at Etihad Stadium following James Troisi’s broken collarbone.
Marco Rojas and Jai Ingham are more likely contenders to start the match, but during training on Friday – when he would usually be at school – he showed he wouldn’t be out of place.
The Wangaratta-raised attacking midfielder kept good company, splitting off with Victory’s senior attackers for training drills and showing his class.
Pasquali was a second-half substitute in Victory’s FFA Cup win over Hume City in August.
But he’s already had one taste of the big time, coming on as a substitute in the club’s International Champions Cup match with Juventus in July, where he scored the winning penalty in a display that had Victory fans excited about the future.
Meanwhile, Victory striker Besart Berisha has vowed to rise once more to the big occasion.
With seven goals, the Albanian hitman has scored more than any other in the history of the Melbourne derby.
“Somehow the next derby is bigger than the last and it doesn’t stop,” Berisha told AAP.
“It’s great. People like me love the big stage. I just love it.
“If I play in front of 100 people, it doesn’t thrill me. I need the big stage.”
Berisha said he had been impressed by City’s off-season additions.
“It’s two great teams with great players clashing,” he said.
“Of course we still have to see how they adapt with new players but that challenge is there for everybody.
“They look fantastic, so does Melbourne Victory. Its all up to who can adapt quicker.”
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