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Melbourne Victory host Sydney FC on Friday night in the first elimination match of the A-League finals. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:30pm (AEST).
The last round of the A-League season was one of the most stressful and exciting decisive rounds in A-League history. From Newcastle’s slim chance of making the top six, to the battle for second place, it was a perfect end to an odd season of football.
How They Got Here
Melbourne Victory sat in fourth place heading into the final round, and needed a win to push for second place. A loss would have seen them susceptible to dropping out of the top six completely if other results didn’t swing their way.
However, in typical Victory fashion, Melbourne finished the season strongly with one of their more convincing performances this season. Goals to Archie Thompson, James Troisi, Gui Finkler and Mark Milligan saw them crush Wellington 4-1, but this result wasn’t enough to improve their final position.
Sydney FC sat in sixth position heading into the final round, and needed a result to keep Newcastle Jets from overtaking them, who were nipping at their heels having beaten Adelaide United in the first match of Round 27.
An early goal by Terry Antonis gave the Sky Blues a dream start against Perth, and despite the Glory equalising, Sydney pushed through to win 2-1, with Richard Garcia clenching the winner in stoppage time. Sydney FC finished fifth on the table.
Game Breaker
Melbourne Victory’s mid-week ACL clash with Guangzhou Evergrande could work in their favour, but it could also hinder their chances of progressing. Muscat rested several first team players on Wednesday night such as Thompson, Ansell and Traore. Rogic and Finkler will also be available for selection after not featuring mid-week.
And whilst this may seem like good news, Melbourne Victory have just come off a convincing win against last years Asian Champions, so a “why change a winning formula” approach seems appropriate. Makarounes and Pain were instrumental, but could find themselves on the bench with Thompson and Rogic starting in their place.
Whatever the case, Melbourne Victory have shown they can play some attractive football, and to win they will rely primarily on Muscat finding the right balance between consistency and fatigue.
Sydney FC haven’t lost to Melbourne Victory this season, with two wins and one draw. Moreover, they’ve scored nine times against the Victory this season, with a 3-2 win and 5-0 win earlier in the season, accompanied by a 1-1 draw in round 25.
Melbourne have struggled against Sydney all season, and could struggle once again.
The return of Terry Antonis has sparked the Sky Blues to life, and their inconsistent season could be forgotten with a strong performance against the Victory.
Farina needs to ensure that Sydney’s defence is at it’s strongest against the might of Melbourne Victory, but if they can hold them off, then Sydney may be in for a chance.
Strong performances from Antonis, Garcia and Del Piero could see the Sky Blues progress to the Semi Finals.
Prediction
Melbourne head into the match on a run of strong form, and will be too classy for the Sky Blues. 3-0 to Melbourne Victory.
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