NEWCASTLE Jets coach Rob Stanton rates Melbourne Victory a top-three team. No doubts about it.
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The Victory boast a cavalcade of stars, are steered by a championship-winning mentor and opened the A-League season with a resounding 2-0 win over fellow heavyweights Sydney FC.
But Stanton knows that Victory also have an underbelly.
And he is confident that a committed, fearless, fast-paced Jets outfit can expose it.
After returning from Perth with a valuable point courtesy of a 2-all draw, Stanton is gunning for a win against Victory at AAMI Park on Sunday.
"You don't win games on paper, but Victory are top-three team, 100 per cent," Stanton said. "Tony is a very good coach. He has won premierships and a champions league. They are a big club. I'm happy to play teams like that. You want to test yourself and know where you are really at.
"We have to be at our best. And we have to expose their weak points.
![ets skipper Brandon O'Neill (left) returns from suspension against Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park on Sunday. Picture by Marina Neil ets skipper Brandon O'Neill (left) returns from suspension against Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park on Sunday. Picture by Marina Neil](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/AVQVfAtGgzehhK8J9F6uCU/d380628e-9ae8-4a79-b019-bb92b8bb7153.jpg/r0_0_2571_1645_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"The beauty of analysis is that you can break teams down and identify their strengths and weaknesses.
"Everyone has an underbelly. You have to find it and capitalise on the moment when it presents.
"I'm sure they have looked at us and thought there are weaknesses, but also if we are not careful there is danger as well.
"People haven't given us much of a chance.
"It won't be easy, but that is the challenge of the A-League. That's the challenge of playing a bigger team. It is an opportunity to put ourselves out there as a team that will be competitive."
Captain Brandon O'Neill returns in midfield after missing round one due to suspension courtesy of a red card in the Australia Cup loss to Brisbane Roar.
"You need your best players and leaders on the pitch," Stanton said. "As a young team, we need that leader, that composure. There will be a spot for Brandon."
O'Neill is likely to line up at the base of midfielder alongside Kosta Grozos, who is fresh from a match-turning performance against the Glory.
Grozos hit a 25-metre stunner to level at 1-all and then swung in a freekick for Apostolos Stamataleopoulos to head home an injury-time equaliser for 2-all.
"If you watched Kosta in pre-season, he has grown every week," Stanton said. "His workloads at training are very consistent. That is why you saw a good performance from him.
"There has been a significant improvement physically, mentally, with the ball, his decision making ... Once you improve areas, you start to get belief. The belief resulted in that strike. As a young kid I'm hearing he did that regularly.
"Even the delivery on the set piece. He won the set piece. His contribution was really good. It was a mature performance from a young kid."
Apart from the inclusion of O'Neill, Stanton will keep faith in the players who came back twice to get a point in Perth.
"There will not be too much chopping and changing," Stanton said. "There might be a couple of changes this week due to fatigue and things like that.
"I want to stick with players for a period.
"That is the worst part about coaching - you can't fit everyone in. Especially when you have a group that is very competitive, very aligned with each other in terms of ability, commitment, attitude and character.
"As a group, you can't get consistent if you are not given enough time."
Stanton is confident there won't be a repeat of the horror start against Perth in which they conceded a sloppy goal inside two minutes.
"I think we were a little bit nervous," he said. "You could see that.
"Considering in pre-season we were pretty good, a bit fearless, no nerves. Once you are playing for points it is a different story.
"We can get better. I saw good evidence with the ball, even without the ball at times. They have shown me enough in 16 weeks to tell me that they can give more. I need to hold them to that."