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Perth Glory have ended the dream run of the Bentleigh Greens in the FFA Cup, securing a 3-0 victory to move through to the final against the winner of Adelaide United vs the Central Coast Mariners.
FINAL SCORE
Bentleigh Greens 0
Perth Glory 3
Can the Bentleigh Greens make history and deny an all A-League decider for the inaugural FFA Cup? Or will it be Perth Glory getting an early season tilt at a trophy? Join The Roar from 7:30pm (AEDT) for coverage of the first ever FFA Cup semi-final.
As the last remaining federation club in the FFA Cup, all eyes will be on the Bentleigh Greens as they take on the league-leading Perth Glory.
The Victorian club earned their way to tonight’s penultimate event with victories over Blacktown City, Sydney Olympic and Adelaide City.
While their opponents are here courtesy of wins over the Newcastle Jets, St Albans Saints, and Melbourne Victory.
It will be an interesting battle as the surprise leaders of the A-League take on a team of part-timers who are playing out of season.
How the Greens can win:
The best chance for the Bentleigh Greens to win this match is to not let the Glory dictate terms. The Greens have prided themselves on their defence throughout this campaign, and if they can weather the storm they could catch the Glory on the counter.
They have players in Luke Pilkington and Luke O’Dea who have previously been involved in a professional environment, and know what it takes to win.
They say home is where the heart is, and the 3000 fans who will cram into Kingston Heath tonight could be a secret weapon for the home side.
If nothing else it should create a spectacular atmosphere.
How the Glory can win:
Despite the handicap of playing in fairly humid conditions just 48 hours ago, Perth have two things that the Bentleigh Greens can only dream about.
Squad depth and access to a professional training environment.
Perth won’t want this match going anywhere near extra time (and especially penalties) as they have to back up again for a clash with a desperate Wanderers side on Saturday.
Accordingly they will want to finish this game early, and attacking with purpose is their best way to achieve this.
A potential problem for the Glory is their finishing. They spurned several clear-cut chances against the Mariners on Sunday and won’t want to make the same mistake.
Likely result:
While football fans will be hoping for a romantic story for the inaugural FFA Cup, it’s unlikely to be tonight.
It is true that stranger things have happened in cup-ties across the world, and it would be fantastic for the game if the Greens could get up, but something special is brewing out in the West and Kenny Lowe’s charges should win this one comfortably.
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