Melbourne Victory midfield general Grant Brebner is the man Celtic manager Neil Lennon will keep a close eye on in Wednesday’s blockbuster at AAMI Park.
Melbourne Victory midfield general Grant Brebner is the man Celtic manager Neil Lennon will keep a close eye on in Wednesday’s blockbuster at AAMI Park.
Lennon revealed he enjoyed some great battles against Brebner when on opposite sides for the best part of seven seasons in the Scottish Premier League.
Having gone from the pitch to the dug-out at Celtic, Lennon is well-aware what threat Brebner brings to the table.
“Grant’s a very good footballer, he had a good career in Scotland,” Lennon said.
“He was at Hibs for a while and Dundee United, he was technically very good and is experienced now.”
“He knew his way around the football pitch and could handle the ball under pressure.”
The lone Scotsman in the Victory squad, Brebner’s past experience means he won’t get caught up in the hype.
Even so, he realises the significance the friendly clash holds for the club, the fans and as a lead-up ahead of the 2011-12 Hyundai A-League season.
“It’s always nice to have a Scottish team out here, it’s the first time we’ve played a Scots team,” Brebner said.
“Personally it’s a big occasion for myself, but matters of hand it is still pre-season and we’ll try to get as much out of it as we can.”
Victory coach Mehmet Durakovic kept his cards close on the make-up of his side’s line-up, but revealed star playmaker Carlos Hernandez would miss due to disciplinary reasons after arriving back in Melbourne late following a trial with MLS outfit Real Salt Lake.
“He went to America on trials of his own accord. He rocked up yesterday and trained today. We knew he was going to go on trials.”
“We had some basic points to work out, told him to come back on the 4th of July, which he didn’t.”
But Durakovic stressed that the 29-year-old, who has played 33 internationals for Costa Rica, still was a required player at the club.
“He’s still a Melbourne Victory player, he’s very important to us and we need him this year,” Durakovic said.
“As it is, we’ve got rules and Carlos won’t be playing this week.”
Durakovic said high-profile off-season buy Jean Carlos Solorzano would see some game-time, but it is expected Archie Thompson and Danny Allsopp will start up front.
Kick-off is at 7.30pm.
