The Roar's A-League Men tips and predictions: Round 26 - the jostle for finals positions is on in earnest
Here is the way the Roar expert panel sees all the action unfolding across the final weekend of play prior to the semi-finals.
To those who believe Sydney FC don’t deserve a top-six spot, coach Frank Farina has one thing to say: the table doesn’t lie.
The Sky Blues are sitting in fifth spot with seven games remaining before the finals.
Victory this weekend against the Central Coast will lift them above in-form Adelaide – a side who are going from strength to strength and who are hot off a sensational display in their 5-1 annihilation of Wellington on Thursday.
Just a month ago Sydney posted a shock 5-0 win over Melbourne Victory but slumped to back-to-back defeats as their rollercoaster season continued and pressure mounted on Farina during one of the club’s most trying times.
Two consecutive wins against Perth and Newcastle have since revived their finals hopes and Farina feels there could be a few more twists and turns before the season ends.
“We see it every week, there are, I won’t say upsets because they’re not upsets, but teams win against the form guide or against the tipsters,” he said.
“We’ve seen that anyone from the bottom half through to the top can lose or win on the day. It’s a matter of who turns up.
“We are at the business end of the season so I think it will be a scrap for everyone.”
Consistency has long been an elusive thing for Sydney, who have not won more than two matches in a row since November.
Of all the teams in the top six the Sky Blues are the only side who’ve suffered more losses (10) than they’ve had wins (9).
But Farina says they deserve to be in finals contention as much as any team and isn’t fazed by what critics may say.
“The table doesn’t lie,” he said.
“Sydney is Sydney – it’s probably under more scrutiny than any other club.
“The Central Coast have lost four games in a row plus the ACL game but they don’t cop as much shtick as Sydney do.
“I’m not concerned about the perception of people and if we start worrying about what some groups of people think then we’ve got some bigger problems.”
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Here is the way the Roar expert panel sees all the action unfolding across the final weekend of play prior to the semi-finals.
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