12 Feb Keisuke Honda set for more minutes against Wellington

Melbourne Victory CEO Trent Jacobs expects Keisuke Honda to be given more minutes against the Wellington Phoenix on Friday night.

The marquee man returned from a long injury lay-off in Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash against Perth Glory, playing the last 30 minutes in the 2-1 defeat.

With a fixture pile-up on the horizon, Jacobs hopes the Japanese playmaker will be fit and firing at the business-end of the campaign for the reigning champions.

“Speaking to Keisuke directly after the game, he said he got through it well and felt good,” Jacobs told SEN’s Whateley.

“What I would expect is that he plays more minutes this week, we go to Auckland to play Wellington on Friday, so hopefully more minutes there and then start to build it up.

“We’ll start to get a congested fixture set coming up with (Asian) Champions League starting on May the 5th.”

Honda, 32, has scored nine goals and provided five assists in his nine appearances for the Victory this season.

Honda update, for Kubota – Building Australia.

*Listen to Trent Jacob’s chat on SEN’s Whateley with Gerard Whateley in the player below *