Melbourne City and Adelaide United get the final round of regular season football off to flying start when they meet at AAMI Park on Friday night, with silverware still within reach.
How will the result affect the premiership?
In arguably the closest ever final round of the A-League, four of the five matches this weekend play huge roles in shaping the six, but none more so than City vs Adelaide. Last week saw Brisbane go clear at the top and enter round 27 in the driving seat, but not without stiff competition. While City’s loss to Perth has them on the back foot, a win will see them go ahead of Brisbane on goal difference, but in need of a Roar loss if they are to become premiers. Meanwhile, a win for the Reds will see them grab silverware so long as Glory and Brisbane are held to a point or less. A stalemate will rule both sides out of contention.
POPULAR ARTICLES
John van’t Schip expecting blockbuster game in Melbourne City’s blockbuster against Adelaide
Wanderers duo: Kick-offs in final round should be simultaneous
Could simultaneous kick-offs work in the A-League’s final round
A-League – Combined XI – Melbourne Victory vs Brisbane Roar
What’s changed since their last meeting?
The Reds may be in a better position to finish top this weekend, but last time they met it was City who finished the encounter sitting pretty. However, since that clash, Adelaide have found their feet in the absence of defender Tarek Elrich, and won respect for their versatility and ability to learn from mistakes, putting them in good steed to build on that frustrating 1-0 loss. On the other hand, City are still quite a strong team, particularly on home soil, where they have not lost since round eight. But if AAMI Park’s residents are to finish top, they will need to have taken a leaf out of United’s book and learn from their mistakes last round.
Clean sheets
With so much on the line, Friday’s opener is going to be a tight match, and making it even tighter is both sides’ recent defensive records. Despite copping criticism for their porous back line, Melbourne City have managed three clean sheets in their last five encounters. On the other hand, Adelaide United head to Victoria with the A-League record of consecutive clean sheets away from home (four). Those defensive records, combined with both sides’ attacking prospects, sees this clash perfectly poised for a blockbuster.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
