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FFA Cup Round of 16: Matchday 1 preview

Steve Corica. (AAP Image/Brendan Esposito)
Roar Rookie
20th August, 2018
6

What a week it’s been for Australian football.

Steven Lowy stands down as FFA chairman, Keisuke Honda has his first public training session with Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC sign a big-name Englishman and Usain Bolt touched down in Australia.

If all of this can happen in the space of a couple days, I’m eager to see what else will happen in the build-up to the 2018-19 A-League season.

In the midst of all the excitement the FFA cup continues, and today I look ahead to tonight’s first matchday of the Round of 16, featuring two all-NPL clashes and two more opportunities for member federation clubs to make their names known on the national stage by beating A-League teams. It’s set to be a ripper.

Avondale FC vs Devonport Strikers

ABD Stadium at 7:30pm AEST

Devonport’s previous round
Northcote City 1-3 Devonport Strikers

I said in my last preview that Devonport would be out for blood following the FFA’s snubbing of Tasmania for an A-League licence, and though I’m not 100 per cent sure if that’s what motivated their win against Northcote, they looked like a team hungry for something and played a crisp brand of football that put the tie out of Northcote’s reach from early on.

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An early double from striker Miles Barnard put the hosts down early, and after a good contest for the ensuing hour, Devonport put on a third to effectively close the game down. Northcote scored a consolation goal late but unfortunately wasn’t nearly enough to change the result.

Avondale FC’s previous round
Avondale FC 4-1 Marconi Stallions

This game was played on the opening day of the Round of 32, allowing Avondale a 27-day break between their last match and this one. Let me take you back to that day.

In a fast-paced tie goals came hard and fast, and after five minutes the score was 1-1. Both teams showed a strong belief that they deserved the spot in the Round of 16, but it was Avondale who showed a very Heidelberg-esque ability to constrict and capitalise on their opponents’ errors and bully them out of a game.

That’s exactly what Avondale did in the second half, when they piled on three goals and sent Marconi home.

Prediction
This game will be a very interesting watch. Both sides have shown a competent brand of football going into this game and both are very capable of putting goals away.

I predict this will be a war of attrition and could go all the way to penalties.

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Avondale FC 2-2 Devonport Strikers; Avondale win on penalties.

A general view during the FFA Cup round of 32 match between Avondale FC and Marconi Stallions

(Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

Broadmeadow Magic vs Bentleigh Greens

Magic Park at 7:30pm AEST

As I write this I’m rewatching Hellenic SC vs Western Sydney Wanderers and wondering how an unknown team from the Northern Territory showed more grit and conviction than the Wellington Phoenix did against Bentleigh.

If you redid the draw for the Round of 32 and Hellenic drew Wellington, there’s not a doubt in my mind that Hellenic would be in the Round of 16. I was always a big advocate for #SaveTheNix, but unfortunately they’re making arguing for their existence really difficult.

Broadmeadow’s previous round
Canberra FC 1-4 Broadmeadow Magic

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One of the clubs bidding for an A-League license, Canberra FC sought to begin an FFA Cup run that would prove to doubters that they deserved to be in the A-League, and boy did they make a meal of it. With errant defending and a missed penalty it was almost difficult for Broadmeadow to lose. Factor in the lack of organised defending from Canberra and Broadmeadow had a field day.

Canberra, who began the match fast, scored after 12 minutes but unfortunately packed up and celebrated their win early – ten minutes later Broadmeadow crashed that party. As the game progressed, Broadmeadow began to show their superiority, piling on goals before and after the break before making it 4-1 in the 78th minute.

Canberra’s day was summed up perfectly when they were awarded a penalty in the 87th minute, but that subsequent penalty turned out to be one of the most bizarre I’ve witnessed, as Ian Graham’s shot was superbly saved by Paul Bitz back into the path of Graham, who then rocketed the ball into the crossbar only for Kofi Danning’s follow-up effort to deflect off Graham and out of play.

Bentleigh’s previous round
Bentleigh Greens 1-0 Wellington Phoenix
Ten men on the pitch and 1-0 up against an A-League side with over half an hour left to hold out. It seems quite a tough task, no? Not for this Bentleigh side. Despite the subpar effort put up by the Phoenix, they ground out a proud win in order to make history as the sixth member federation club to knock an A-League team out of the FFA Cup.

Prediction
In what should be a good game between two strong NPL sides, this tie will be won late by either team. I think it will be the Victorian side to get it done.

Broadmeadow Magic 1-2 Bentleigh Greens.

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APIA Leichhardt Tigers vs Melbourne Victory

Leichhardt Oval at 7:30pm AEST – Live on Fox Sports

This could be the first we see of Keisuke Honda in a Melbourne Victory kit, and man am I excited. Since the announcement of this fixture APIA Leichhardt have shown tremendous hospitality towards Kevin Muscat and the boys in blue, imploring them to bring Honda up north and, impressively, haven’t had their spirits dampened by the loss of their star striker Jordan Murray to the Central Coast Mariners. Unfortunately for the Tigers, I don’t think they’ve got much of a shot here without their main striker.

Leichardt’s previous round
APIA Leichhardt Tigers 1-0 Port Melbourne Sharks

In the Tigers’ last cup tie they came up against a scrappy Port Melbourne side trying to upset the top team from New South Wales. In what was a low-scoring affair the breakaway goal came just before the half-time whistle from Japanese midfielder Tasuku Sekiya.

As APIA Leichhardt made what was arguably the final attack of the half, Port Melbourne scrambled in order to clear the ball, but unfortunately, amidst the chaos, the ball fell to the feet of Tasuku Sekiya, who blasted it near post, and despite Matthew Symes getting a hand to it, it found the back of the net.

Port Melbourne applied the pressure for the remainder of the second half but the Tigers withstood it in order to make the Round of 16.

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Melbourne’s previous round
Perth Glory 0-1 Melbourne Victory

One of three all-A-League clashes for the round, former Socceroos teammates Tony Popovic and Kevin Muscat went to war as coaches for the first time since the end of the 2016-17 season. With a Perth side still gelling together after a flurry of big-name signings and a Victory side undermanned and lacking an experienced striker, it was an unpredictable game from the start.

The only action came from a Victory attack as they streamed forward into their final third, finally settling on Kosta Barbarouses, who neatly finished into the bottom left corner, putting Melbourne Victory into the Round of 16 and quickly stifling Perth’s hope of a maiden FFA Cup.

Prediction
Like I said earlier, unfortunately for APIA Leichhardt Tigers, the loss of Jordan Murray is a huge blow for their chances of an upset. Factor in the possibility of Muscat playing Keisuke Honda and it leaves little hope for the member federation club in what could very easily be a one-sided affair.

APIA Leichhardt Tigers 1-3 Melbourne Victory.

Keisuke Honda celebrates after scoring a goal

(Kaz Photography/Getty Images)

Cairns FC vs Sydney FC

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Barlow Park at 7:30pm AEST

This is the game that should be broadcast on national television. A small club full of heart from the very north of the country up against Sydney FC, one of the richest clubs in the land and the reigning champions of the FFA Cup, makes for a great story.

This would require a monumental effort from Cairns. Sydney have recently acquired English striker Adam Le Fondre, and regardless of whether he plays or not, the North Queensland side will be up against it. Have they got what it takes to upset the champions? I say maybe.

Cairns’ previous round
Cairns FC 4-0 Armadale SC

In what can only be described as a skewed performance due to a very early red card to Armadale, Cairns ran rampant and demonstrated a more than competent ability to score goals.

Armadale defender Beau Rahim was shown red card by referee Jarred Gillett just 19 minutes into the game after a tackle that stopped the run of Cairns and could have led to a goal.

Cairns exploited Armadale’s depleted numbers and piled on the goals to win comfortably 4-0, capped off by a brilliant half-volley from Chris O’Hare to put Cairns into the Round of 16 for the very first time in their history.

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Sydney FC’s previous round
Rockdale City Suns 2-4 Sydney FC

The aroma of cevapi and beer was ever-present in the south of Sydney on the opening night of the Cup as the first NPL vs A-League clash was played out in front of an eager crowd of just over 4,400 spectators. It didn’t take long for the underdogs to stamp their presence on the match – in only the sixth minute Rockdale found the net courtesy of a very clean chip from the outside of the box off the boot of Harry Gaitatzis.

There were murmurs on social media: Could these no-names potentially upset the champions? No. They couldn’t.

In the 24th minute Sydney struck back through young Australian prodigy Daniel De Silva to square things up at the break. I don’t know what happened in those locker rooms, but two different sides from the ones that had ended that well-contested half emerged to begin the second half.

Sydney were playing like a team that had won the FFA Cup and Rockdale were subject to their whim. The Sky Blues piled on goals fast, and by the 64th minute the game was over. It was 4-1 and Rockdale showed no signs of pulling off the miracle.

Prediction
These two teams contrast starkly in terms of how they managed to get here. Cairns have ground and fought tooth and nail in order to make the Round of 16. Cairns defender Joe Zupo has described the match as “the biggest game of our lives.” It will require the most all-round performance this tournament to get close to Sydney.

The question is: Can they do it? Yes, I think they will. Get close, that is.

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Sydney can’t afford complacency, and that’s what I see happening. Cairns shock the Sky Blues, they outclass Cairns to bring the match back to level terms.

Cairns FC 2-3 Sydney FC after extra time.

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