Get down to nib Stadium for this Saturday showdown and see if Perth can win the race for third place with a vital victory.
Perth Glory v Melbourne Victory
Saturday 24th March, 6.30pm
Get down to nib Stadium for this Saturday showdown and see if Perth can win the race for third place with a vital victory.
A home tie in the elimination final might already be secured, but that won’t stop Perth Glory going all out for a win in their final league game of the season as they bid to finish in third place on the ladder.
Remarkably, after 26 games, they boast an almost identical record to Wellington Phoenix, having won, drawn and lost the same amount of matches, achieving the same goal difference along the way. So, they’ll be looking to win, and win well, on Saturday as the race for third place reaches its conclusion.
One thing is for sure, they will have to do a whole lot better than they did last Sunday if they are to get anything at all from this match. Their long trip home from the Gold Coast was a miserable one having been on the wrong end of a 3-0 drubbing.
While the performance certainly wasn’t the best, they weren’t helped by the red card to Dean Heffernan with nearly an hour to play. Already 1-0 down at this stage, they did well to remain in the match before a late brace from James Brown put the game to bed.
In contrast, this weekend’s opponents go into the final game of their season in great spirits following an emphatic win last Friday night against one of Perth’s finals rivals.
Judging by their display against Wellington Phoenix, it seems impossible to believe that this is a team which failed to make the top six. They positively ripped the New Zealanders apart, and were rewarded with an 11th minute screamer from Carlos Hernandez, a 58th-minute tap-in for Isaka Cernak and a James Jeggo strike.
While Melbourne’s victory certainly did Glory a favour, it also showed just what a tough test the Western Australians face on Sunday.
However, Perth will not fear facing their Melbourne counterparts, as they have taken four points from them so far in the Hyundai A-League 2011/12 season.
And fans heading along to the game should also be excited about this match-up, as the two encounters thus far have produced nine goals and all manner of drama.
At Etihad Stadium, Perth staged a remarkable fightback to steal a draw from 2-0 down despite being reduced to ten men, while a double from Shane Smeltz, one from Mile Sterjovski and a late Andrezinho goal helped Glory to a cracking 4-1 thumping of Victory in front of a bumper crowd in Perth. If they can put in a similar display this weekend, they will surely claim third place.
Get along to nib Stadium this Sunday and prepare for non-stop excitement as Perth look to right the wrongs of last week and head into the finals in style. Can Glory remain unbeaten against Victory this season and secure a third placed finish? Be there and see for yourself.
