The record may be puzzling, but is not a complete mystery. The Victory have been one of the dominant forces of the A-League and the Phoenix have usually struggled away from home - during Ricki Herbert's long tenure the modus operandi tended to be 'hold 'em and hang on'.
However, the Phoenix haven't helped themselves and games in Melbourne have often been over by halftime.
"There have been several occasions when we have given them an early lead and then ended up clawing our way back," Durante said. "On other occasions, we have held out for a long time and then conceded late in games."
In the 11 matches, the Phoenix have never scored first and have often made terrible starts. In four of the last five encounters, they have conceded three unanswered goals, including last year when they were 3-0 down after 31 minutes.
There's a hope the current team are made of sterner stuff and won't repeat last year's mistake when they were guilty of defending far too high against the quicksilver Victory attack. And in Roly Bonevacia and Albert Riera, they have a great midfield platform.
The Victory offer the triple attacking threat of Archie Thompson, Besart Berisha and Kosta Barbarouses with impressive Brazilian Guilherme Finkler operating just behind (though Berisha is under an injury cloud). But on this season's evidence so far, the Phoenix also look more dangerous on attack and have a greater ability to retain possession.
Facing the Victory in their home stadium - full of noisy, passionate fans - is a daunting assignment but Durante sees it as a positive.
"I enjoy playing there," he said. "Some might say it's intimidating but I think it's great. You ask anyone if they would rather play in front of 30,000 screaming fans or 4000 and I know the answer. My job is to make sure everyone is up for these games."
Phoenix coach Ernie Merrick was previously in charge at the Victory for more than five seasons and knows what it's like for visiting teams. "[Fans] were the 12th man for us when I was there. It won't be easy but we can match them."
Durante added: "We have a real belief that we can go anywhere and get results. We showed what we could do against Central Coast. Obviously they have a good team and a strong front three, so we'll need to be on top of our game."
