Perth Glory will go into their A-League semi-final on Saturday against Sydney FC as rank outsiders, but that doesn’t bother the men from the west.
The Sky Blues will have all the pressure when the two sides meet at Allianz Stadium, says Glory defender Dino Djulbic.
“They’ve got to come out. They’re playing at home and everyone expects them to win,” he said.
Perth will be hoping history repeats itself from 2011-12 when they made it all the way to the grand final after beating reigning premiers Central Coast Mariners in a gruelling semi-final.
Can do they do the seemingly impossible again?
Sydney FC were near unbeatable this season, their one slip up coming at the hands of their closest neighbours, the Western Sydney Wanderers. Aside from that 1-0 defeat in February, the Sky Blues have been hard to fault, scoring a league high 55 goals and only letting in 12 through the 27 game regular season.
Serbian playmaker Milos Ninkovic has been largely at the heart of Sydney’s dominance, assisting on 11 goals already this season. He is one of the frontrunners for this year’s Johnny Warren Medal having already taken out the Alex Tobin medal earlier in the season.
In a nutshell, closing down Ninkovic is the key if Perth are to have any success.
It will be the duty of experienced midfield duo Rostyn Griffths and Richard Garcia to keep the Serb quiet. The pair have a wealth of A-League knowledge which will be vital come Saturday.
At the back, things could not be more different. Sydney have conceded a league-best 12 goals, while Perth have shipped 53, leaving them with the leakiest defence along with the Newcastle Jets. We all know that form goes out of the window when it comes to finals football, and it is a one-off 90 minute contest, but the odds are stacked against Perth in this department.
It’s going forward where Perth have their most success. The trio of Diego Castro, Andy Keogh and Taggart have scored 37 goals between them, and will need to add to that already impressive tally to give their side any hope of advancing to a second grand final in club history.
What is on Perth’s side however is their current form. They have hit their straps of late, putting together some great performances over the last few games of the season to secure a fifth place finish, earning themselves a spot in the finals.
Everything clicked during their Elimination Final at AAMI Stadium against Melbourne City, where the Glory put together a polished display to run out comfortable 2-0 winners, with Castro and Joel Chianese grabbing the goals.
Perth fans will be hoping their side can replicate that performance, but Sydney are clear favourites for obvious reasons.
I predict Perth to come out of the blocks early to put pressure on Sydney, as they did against Melbourne City.
They will need to make sure they limit Ninkovic’s impact while mainly hitting Sydney on the counter-attack.
All in all, I expect a pretty open game from both sides. Sydney will play their natural game and Perth will do their best to stifle them, while using Castro, Chianese and Taggart to try and grab a goal or two at the other end.
Predication: Sydney 3-1 Perth
Man of the Match: Milos Ninkovic
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