Perth Glory end the regular season with a trip to Allianz Stadium, where they’ll face a Sydney side who are chasing their first win since the 16th of January.
The effect of David Carney
The purchase of veteran David Carney has been the cause of much scrutiny for both Graham Arnold and Sydney FC. While the former Socceroo was arguably Newcastle’s best player until his departure in January, the Sky Blues were in desperate need of an exciting, pacey proven goalscorer – unfortunately Carney does not fit the bill. Since joining the club in round 15 there is no doubt Carney has contributed positively to the side, however the stats simply don’t lie. With Carney in the side, Sydney have failed to record a win. This cannot be directly attributed to purely Carney’s involvement, however Arnold wanted a goalscorer and Carney clearly isn’t the right man for that role.
Perth’s win over Melbourne City
Although Glory enter Sunday night’s match without a chance of finishing top two, they are genuine challengers for the Championship. Last week’s 3-2 victory over Melbourne City reaffirmed their chances of clinching silverware, turning in a classy performance. Diego Castro and Andy Keogh ran riot against City and the scoreline flattered to deceive, with Perth in scintillating form. That result was the Glory’s fifth straight win and they will be out to maintain their momentum heading into next week’s finals.
Can Sydney finish with an upset?
Sydney certainly enter the final round underdogs, not only due to their form, but also given they lost their last meeting with Perth 2-1. That said, the Sky Blues are the more dominant outfit in this fixture, having won four and drawn one of their last seven against Perth, and losing just eight of their 32 overall meetings in the A-League. While history isn’t everything, and Sydney’s form leaves a lot to be desired, is the pressure of their season, combined with the feeling of a chance to redeem themselves enough to see the Sky Blues pull off an upset win?
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