Melbourne Victory midfielder Denis Genreau is clinging on to his FIFA World Cup dream, knowing he needs to have a major impact on the A-League finals series to have any hope of forcing his way into the Socceroos squad.
When Genreau returned to the A-League from Europe ahead of the 2025-26, among his goals was to reclaim his spot in the national team in time for the World Cup, which starts in June.
The 26-year-old former Melbourne City star is still searching for his first Socceroos cap since September 2023. but he hasn’t given up hope of forcing his way into national coach Tony Popovic’s World Cup plans.
“I’ve had the belief since day one of the season that it’s possible,” Genreau said ahead of Victory’s elimination final battle with Sydney FC at AAMI Park on Saturday night.
“I’m not going to stop believing. I really hope, and I’ve got to keep working hard and see what happens.
“I’m not thinking about it too much. I’m really focused on finishing this finals season well.
“I know that can make a big difference. I’m trying to just do the best for my club. Performing in big games is something I’ve done in the past, and something that I can really do in these next games as well.
“When the pressure’s high that’s often when I feel like I can play my best football.”
The pressure is set to be intense in Saturday night’s do-or-die “Big Blue”.
A loss would end Victory’s hopes of not only contesting a third successive grand final, but also the chance to take another step towards making up for defeats in the past two competition deciders.
“Since the first day that I was here, the expectation at the club is to go one better than last season and the season before,” Genreau said.
“We’re very aware of that, and very aware of what the club expects from the team every year.
“That past two seasons have hurt a lot for most of the boys, and everyone is so motivated to go that one step further. but we’re not thinking too far ahead. We’ve got a massive game coming up on Saturday night.”
The sudden-death affair is the second match in a double-header on Saturday at AAMI Park, with the Victory meeting Melbourne City in an A-League’s women’s semi-final first-leg clash before the men’s match.
Victory midfielder Grace Maher said the fact that it was not only a semi-final but also a Melbourne derby added to the occasion.
“These are the games you playing in, the derbies, let alone a semi-final derby that’s also a double-header,” Maher said.
“It’s a very exciting time, and hopefully our game will be the start of two very good games for Melbourne Victory.”
