Thompson became the fourth Victory player sent off in the first eight games of the season and will miss at least one match after being given his marching orders for swearing at referee Matthew Breeze. Given that Football Federation Australia has taken a dim view of dissent this season, the likelihood is that Thompson will get a two-match ban - which would also see him miss the game away to Adelaide United on October 31.

Also missing from the clash with Sydney will be Thompson's fellow strike weapon Ney Fabiano, who will still be serving a six-match suspension for spitting at Adelaide United's Robbie Cornthwaite.

Melbourne coach Ernie Merrick said after Saturday's game that he was frustrated at the way his players keep putting the team under pressure by picking up red cards this season.

"The players have been told that the referees are going to enforce strict discipline on dissent," Merrick said. "He [the referee] had no hesitation in sending Archie off.

"The four red cards [this season] have hurt us. There's no excuse and it put a lot of pressure on our team. It's always frustrating. We have got the lowest yellow card count, but four red cards is not good enough and we will pay the price for that."

Thompson's spray at Breeze will not only cost him a leading role in the match against Sydney, it could also impact on his chances of a Socceroos call-up for the next World Cup qualifier against Bahrain next month.

Thompson was in the training squad for the match against Qatar in Brisbane last week but was not in the starting XI or among the substitutes, with coach Pim Verbeek preferring to use Brett Holman and Mile Sterjovski as attacking options off the bench.

Should he be suspended for two matches, Thompson would have only the away game against Queensland on November 8 to prove his fitness and the kind of form that Verbeek would need to see to pick him.