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.
There is exactly one year until the kick-off of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, and already the tournament is steadily generating momentum.
Newcastle is one of five host cities for the Asian Cup, along with Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, and on Sunday the city will celebrate the official one-year countdown until their first group match.
The 16 best teams in Asia will be contesting the Cup, with reigning champions Japan expected to be a key contender again.
The final 16 teams to compete in the tournament will be finalised in early March, with the official draw to take place on March 26 at the Sydney Opera House.
Newcastle isn’t taking host city status lightly, putting on a celebration at Wheeler Place in heart of the city’s CBD, a site familiar to football fans having been a live venue for the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups.
On Sunday morning at 10.30am the official 2015 AFC Asian Cup countdown clock will be launched at the site, fans will get the opportunity to get hold of the first tickets available for Asian Cup matches and Newcastle Jets games.
Jets players and local football legends will be on hand to sign autographs, while the AFC Asian Cup trophy will also be on hand for the event.
Tournament organisers will be hosting the ‘365 football scramble‘ for pre-registered participants, with five of 365 balls containing family pass tickets to be won.
With the city hosting four matches – two group games, the semi-final and the third-place playoff, tickets to Newcastle’s 33,000-seat stadium are expected to be at a premium.
Ms Jan Ross, Manager of Tourism and Economic Services for the City of Newcastle, said that she expected the matches to be well patronised by visitors from neighbouring countries playing in the city.
“Newcastle has long been a football heartland and being one of just five host cities to stage AFC Asian Cup matches in 2015 is both a great honour and incredibly exciting for the whole city,” said Ross.
“All matches will be played at Newcastle Stadium – home ground for the Newcastle Jets A-League football team.
“Following completion of the stadium’s recent state of the art $81 million Western Grandstand, increasing its seating capacity to 33,000, Newcastle is well prepared to welcome the thousands of fans who will be travelling to region to see some of the world’s best teams vie for the AFC Asian Cup championship.
“Given the number of teams involved in the championship from all around Asia, we expect interest in AFC Asian Cup to surpass all other events – and we can’t wait to show off our wonderful city to visitors travelling from far and wide.”
Sunday’s event comes after the tournament was officially launched one year out from the January 9, 2015 kick-off at Melbourne’s Federation Square.
Speaking at the launch, Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou urged Australians to get behind the event.
“The Socceroos are the people’s team, and the Asian Cup is the people’s tournament,” he said.
“This is a chance for Australia to shine on and off the field.
“We are one of the most multicultural nations on earth, and for the first time we are hosting the top 16 teams in the world’s biggest region.
“First we have the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, then six months later we host the AFC Asian Cup. Australian football has never known a time quite as exciting as this.”
How do you get involved? Registrations for the 365 football scramble are now open and entry is free – so if you’re looking to snare some of the first available tickets to next year’s tournament, register and get down to Wheeler Place on Sunday.