With all attention officially turned to the Asian Champions League, Sydney FC host a firing Perth Glory looking to set down another marker ahead of a finals series like none we have seen before.
The week has been a game of cat and mouse. Perth Glory coach Kenny Lowe will sit back and observe Melbourne City vs Adelaide United on Friday night and the Wanderers’ trip to Wellington before settling on his lineup. Top four hopes all hinge on fixtures out of his control and depending what happens at AAMI Park and the Cake Tin, those games will dictate events at Allianz Stadium come Sunday twilight.
All is not lost for Sydney FC, depending how much stock supporters put in the Asian Champions League competition. Topping a group that features previous winners Pohang Steelers, Guangzhou Evergrande and Urawa Red Diamonds is a tremendous achievement, but comes in the context of an A-League campaign that could not be revived. As such, the Sky Blues will be dead on arrival for a game that means nothing to them other than pride, potential future contracts and thanking those fans who have turned up in thick and (mostly) thin.
READ MORE: Perth Glory’s Hungarian duo are the side’s unsung heroes
Key Battle – Matt Jurman vs Diego Castro
Should the managers give the fixture respect in terms of team selection, arguably the best two players from each team will be able to pit their wits against each other. Sydney FC defender Matt Jurman has been a shining light in 2015-16 by heading, kicking and marshalling a defence that has failed to gel.
CrownBet match odds at time of publishing
Diego Castro on the other hand cannot be stopped. His superb volley against Melbourne City illustrated that confidence is sky high for the Spaniard and with exceptional technical ability, Sydney fans can at least be treated to a marquee that delivers more times than not.
Team News
Anticipating team news for this fixture is a tenuous prospect. Seb Ryall, Jurman, David Carney, Matt Simon, Rhyan Grant, George Blackwood and the strangely absent Mikael Tavares are all listed back on a bloated team sheet that will be trimmed back on matchday.
Other than Dino Djulbic’s reintroduction from suspension and the promotion of Kosta Petratos, Perth Glory will make just one change from their 3-2 victory over Melbourne City last weekend with Chris Harold rested with a slight hamstring injury – very much a precaution. The big question is whether the team from the west will have a home final to play for and if not, will Lowe risk resting players and potentially halting the great run of form they are on?
Head-to-Head
In 32 games against Perth Glory, Sydney FC enjoy a record of 15 wins, nine draws and eight losses. When the Purple Army cross the Nullarbor for the 12 games they have played at Allianz Stadium, they have only won on four occasions, losing six and drawing twice.
Previous Meeting
Back in February, Perth Glory were gearing into form and handed Sydney a 2-1 defeat on home soil, with goals to Andy Keogh and Chris Harold, the latter of which handed on a plate by a Vedran Janjetovic error of epic proportions. Shane Smeltz pegged a goal back late on, but it would be an indicator for how different the trajectories would be of these two clubs in 2015-16. One was ruthlessly professional, the other muddled and embarrassing.
Prediction
Never before has the Glory arrived at Moore Park more confident and certain of three points. With a small crowd on hand and players rotated and rested for the ACL, Perth will have far too much firepower and ask too many questions of a Sky Blues outfit that has salvaged some pride in a different competition.
Sydney FC 1 Perth Glory 3
*CrownBet match odds at time of publishing are subject to change
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