A-League Men semi-final first leg
Friday,May 12,Allianz Stadium,7.45pm
TV live on Network 10 and Paramount+
LIKELY TEAMS
Sydney FC (4-3-3): Redmayne;Grant,Rodwell,Wilkinson,King;Brattan,Caceres,Retre;Mak,Le Fondre,Burgess.
Melbourne City (4-3-3): Glover;Talbot,Reis,Good,Bos;Berenguer,O’Neill,van der Venne;Leckie,Maclaren,Tilio.
THREE BURNING QUESTIONS
Have Sydney FC played their grand final already?A one-off hitout against your crosstown rivals is one thing. But two legs against the A-League’s most dominant team of the last few years is something else entirely. Sydney’s team of old warhorses know exactly what it takes to win finals matches,but it remains to be seen if their shock upset of the Wanderers was one final salvo from their decorated veterans,or just the start of a serious post-season assault. The signs will be evident pretty early once they’re confronted with City’s quick tempo and pressing.
Will familiar faces come back to haunt their old club?It will probably go down as one of the great squad management errors of the A-League era. How on earth did Sydney FC let Marco Tilio go? The Hurstville lad is one of the Socceroos’ biggest hopes,and showed exactly what he can do with a mazy run and goal in their last regular-season match,which - and this is not hyperbole - even Lionel Messi would have been proud of. He returns to Sydney with a point to prove,and it’ll probably be the last time he plays his old team given a move to Europe is in the offing.
Will Mathew Leckie start?The man who scoredthat goal against Denmark at the World Cup missed a big chunk of the A-League season with a hamstring injury but returned for City’s last two matches of the home-and-away campaign,coming off the bench for brief cameos. The week off,which City earned by finishing top of the ladder,has surely helped his fitness cause. At his best,he is one of the competition’s very best players,so City will be desperately hoping he can help them from the beginning of this encounter.
IN THE DUGOUT
Steve Corica (Sydney FC) -What a turnaround. Last week’s Sydney derby was one of the finest moments of Corica’s coaching career,dominating the second half to stun the Wanderers and turn a one-goal deficit into a 2-1 win,keeping their title dreams alive. His subs were spot on,his faith in notoriously injury-prone Jack Rodwell finally paid off,and obviously his half-time address resonated with his players,who produced 45 sizzling minutes. Is there more where that came from?
Rado Vidosic (Melbourne City) -A stalwart of the Australian soccer team and one-time assistant to Ange Postecoglou during the peak ‘Roarcelona’ years,he took over mid-season when Patrick Kisnorbo joined French club ESTAC Troyes,becoming the first Aussie to coach in one of Europe’s top five leagues. Vidosic hasn’t needed to change much,and despite the occasional wobble since assuming the top job,City come into the finals unbeaten in their last eight games,and with wins over all remaining finals teams under their belt.