The facts tell us it should be a goal fest, with Victory scoring 24 goals so far (nine in the past three matches), with half of those goals coming from Besart Berisha and Archie Thompson, who have found the back of the net six times apiece. 

It doesn’t bode well for City, given it has the second-worst defensive record (19 against) behind the Newcastle Jets.

The loss of Damien Duff to injury has compounded matters, with the Irishman leading the league with assists (four). 

It will be too early to pin hopes on Robert Koren (who returned to training this week) to fill the gap, while Josh Kennedy won’t be ready to take his place in the team until after the Asian Cup. 

Momentum is crucial in any sport, especially when things haven’t been going your way prior to a match of special importance.

A 13-day break between games could also affect City’s performance.

After a fantastic 1-0 win against the Roar in their last outing, you want the games to flow and carry on at a good speed to keep that positive momentum going into the next game. 

On the other hand, it gives them more time to recover physically and more time to prepare, as they have a busy period of games in the next two weeks.

This should ensure they enter the clash with fresher legs than Victory, but you 

also need to make sure you can match up with the quality for the majority of the game. 

As we all know, derbies are that little bit different. 

They go deeper than most and sometimes form goes out the window. 

However, I think on this occasion the Victory forward line will be too strong to contain and Mr Claus will be sliding down the chimney in an alternative navy blue suit this Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Ballarat Red Devils coach James Robinson has played at the top level of soccer in Australia. He played 41 A-League games at three clubs – Melbourne Victory, Perth Glory and North Queensland.