Only four teams are left to fight it out as the A-League season reaches its final point.
This weekend Newcastle Jets will host Melbourne City, and Sydney FC will take on Melbourne Victory, in the two elimination finals. The winners of each final will lock horns in the grand final on May 5. The losers of each will have their 2017/2018 campaign abruptly ended.
The two NSW clubs Newcastle and Sydney FC have home advantage after finishing second and first on the ladder in the regular season. Both Melbourne clubs will be seeking to upset their opponents and ensure the grand final is playing at their shared home ground of AAMI Park. But if the Jets or Sky Blues are victorious, then the decider will be played at their stadium.
Sydney FC go into Saturday’s final seeking back-to-back grand final wins. Graham Arnold’s team have easily been the best team in Australia for the past two seasons, taking out the treble with the grand final, the Premier’s Plate and the FFA Cup trophies. They’ve already won the Premier’s Plate again and want more silverware to add to their bulging cabinet. Outstanding import trio Bobo, Milos Ninkovic and Adrian Mierzejewski are near impossible to stop. As it will be Arnold’s last game in charge, before he takes over the Socceroos, there will be no shortage of motivation either.
For Melbourne Victory it has been an unusual season, one that started poorly but has improved rapidly since February. They head into the final on the back of a 2-1 win over Adelaide United, though they did lose 1-0 to Sydney FC just two weeks ago. The Sky Blues also enjoy a seven-match undefeated run against their old Bleak City ‘Big Blue’ foes. But with players such as Besart Berisha, Rhys Williams and Kosta Barbarouses, you can’t write off Kevin Muscat’s men.
Melbourne City have never made an A-League grand final and are desperate to break that record on Friday. Likewise the Jets, who have gone from wooden spooners to second in an impressive season, are seeking to end a 10-year absence and a decade of failure since their last final. On that day in 2008 the Jets edged Central Coast 1-0 to claim the Hunter’s first major trophy in three decades.
Newcastle started brilliantly out of the blocks last year, slaying opponents left right and centre in the first two thirds of the season. Injuries and the exit of Andrew Nabbout to Japan have bitten hard in the final two months. But the Jets have shaken that off and embarrassed the Mariners 8-2 in the final round of the regular season. Captain and experienced centre back Nigel Boogard is expected to be back fit for the game, giving the team a huge lift. Classy foreigner Ronny Vargas is also expected to face City on Friday.
Warren Joyce’s side will fancy their chances after knocking Newcastle off 3-0 at McDonald Jones Stadium only four weeks ago. Bruno Fornaroli is back to his best and they have a real X-factor in young gun Daniel Arzani, though they may have captain Michael Jakobsen missing with injury. City have lost only one game in their past six and have an XI laden with talent. Getting to their first A-League decider would be a huge step forward for a club still trying to secure an identity and build a solid fanbase.
An electric Melbourne derby, an all-NSW affair, or a chance for Sydney FC to defend their crown could await next weekend.
