Lachlan Avil 
Marco Tilio warming up at the Melbourne Derby. Photo: Marcus Robertson / Round Ball Australia
Injuries to key players, Marco Tilio and Andrew Nabbout, left a bitter taste in the mouth for Aurelio Vidmar’s side despite a 1-0 win over Western United at AAMI Park on Monday night.
With Max Caputo still set to miss around the next month of football and losing Arion Sulemani in training this week, Melbourne City now face a front-third injury crisis.
“Tils (Marco Tilio) looks like a hamstring … he said he felt a spasm in the hamstring and feels like it’s not as bad as it was last year,” Vidmar said.
“[For Nabbout] at this stage it looks like an ACL, but we’re going to have to wait until he gets a scan so it’s confirmed.
“It was a great win, the boys showed terrific character and we had a really nice intensity about the game for 90 minutes.
“But yes, we’re all a little bit deflated with the injuries to Tils and to Andy.”
Not only did Marco Tilio present one of City’s best routes to goal this season, he also represented a large portion of hope for City’s fanbase heading into 24/25 campaign.
Consistently stymied by injury since his breakout 22/23 season that resulted in a transfer to Celtic, Tilio finally seemed to be in a state of mind and body to hit a full A-League Men season with purpose.
Noted by his coach as one of the best one-on-one dribblers in the league, Tilio is an exciting young Australian that is a drawcard for fans.
Without him, the City faithful will have to look elsewhere.
The potential ACL to Andrew Nabbout poses further questions as to how City are going play through central areas in the front third of the pitch.
Mathew Leckie – who was only a late substitute in his own return from injury – is likely the preference to line up as the number 9.
But if he’s still not fit to start, then the loss of Sulemani in midweek could leave City without their top four striking preferences.
An injury replacement player is not out of the question, with Vidmar saying it is a discussion to be had with management during the week.
City will have to work quick, because as forgiving as the A-League can be, a lack of routes to the back of the net can wear teams down throughout the warm summer months.
UPDATE
After this article was published, Melbourne City confirmed that Andrew Nabbout suffered an ACL injury in his right knee and he would miss the remainder of the season.