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Victory and Glory ready for show-stopping W-League, A-League double header


Melbourne Victory want a bumper turnout for their Super Sunday of AAMI Park action to bolster the club's chances of silverware on two fronts.

On paper, it's one of the most exciting days of domestic football in memory and Victory and the FFA are keen to lure a big crowd.

In the afternoon, Victory's W-League side host a semifinal against Sam Kerr's Perth, as the Victory women look to back up their premiership with hosting rights in a Grand Final.

In the evening, the Victory men take centre stage in a top-of-the-table A-League affair which might narrow the gap on the league-leading Glory.

Some of the biggest and most-thrilling names in domestic football -- Keisuke Honda, Kerr, Ola Toivonen, Natasha Dowie, Christine Nairn, Diego Castro -- are all expected to play.

While Victory have invested in their women's side this year, turning the wooden-spooners of 2016 and 2017 into table-toppers, fans have been slower to catch on.

The club's league-best active fans are yet to make their presence felt at W-League matches.

Victory chief executive Trent Jacobs said he hoped the double-bill, with matchday prices left unchanged, would coax members and fans to the 2 p.m. W-League kickoff.

"It's a Super Sunday for our members and fans. And an important milestone for our girls -- we're so proud of [coach] Jeff Hopkins and everyone," he said.

"With Sam Kerr out there and a significant amount of high-quality players and Matildas in the two teams, we're going to get a lot coming early.

"We want to see everyone there from actives to premium seat holders and everyday members and fans.

"We want everyone and we want an atmosphere which would hopefully create a pathway to a Grand Final."

Victory tuned up for the semifinal on Tuesday night in Canberra, resting several stars in a 0-0 draw.

The Victory-Glory double-bill is a repeat of the Dec. 28 line-up, in which Victory's W-League side triumphed 2-1 and Glory's A-League team scored a last-minute 3-2 win for strong early-season momentum.

The second W-League semifinal will take place later that night at Brisbane's Dolphin Oval, where the Roar host Sydney FC.

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