KEEPUP previews the Semi Final second legs of the Isuzu UTE A-League Finals Series, with thanks to neds.
Melbourne City and Sydney FC’s Semi Final tie couldn’t be set up any better heading into the second leg on Friday night.
Neither side left Allianz Stadium with the ascendancy, after the first leg ended in a 1-1 draw following goals from both Mathew Leckie and Adam Le Fondre.
The result could have been markedly different had it not been for the offside flag and the VAR, with Sydney denied two goals, while their dispatched spot-kick was on the second attempt after Callum Talbot encroached the penalty area.
ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE SEMI FINAL SECOND LEGS: Everything you need to know
City, however, will go in full of confidence having not lost as the home team at AAMI Park since February 2022, with their last loss against the Sky Blues at the same venue coming all the way back in November 2018.
In fact, they’ve only lost once in their last eight league matches against Sydney.
BUY TICKETS FOR THE MELBOURNE CITY V SYDNEY FC, SECOND LEG SEMI FINAL
Despite coming into finals in red hot form, star striker Jamie Maclaren was kept quiet in the first leg by the Sky Blues defence and didn’t fire a single shot on goal throughout the 90.
KEEPUP’S COVERAGE OF THE BUILD-UP TO THE SECOND LEG SEMI FINAL BETWEEN MELBOURNE CITY AND SYDNEY FC
ALL ACCESS: Unseen VAR footage explains what really happened in contentious Semi Final moment
GLOVER: Tom Glover’s brilliant response to Wrexham transfer rumour that’s ‘absolutely blown up’
TILIO GOES VIRAL: ‘Jesus… I’ve never seen that!’ Secret to incredible finals moment
UNSUNG HEROES: Redemption, racing hearts & toothpaste: the Isuzu UTE A-League finals heroes no one saw coming
O’DONOVAN: This is why it’s Sydney FC and the Mariners who will be wearing the smiles of grand finalists this weekend
TALBOT: An Olyroo’s ‘unreal’ transfer took 3 attempts: This is why he ‘couldn’t really say no’
BOS: City full-back seals record-breaking A-Leagues transfer
“I think Sydney did extremely well to get numbers behind the ball numbers in the box (and) make it difficult for for him to find space,” former A-Leagues defender Robbie Cornthwaite said on A-League Agenda.
“Jamie Maclaren’s got unfinished business. When City won the title, he was sitting in quarantine. He hasn’t played in a winning Grand Final, lost against Western United last season, didn’t have a shot on goal throughout that whole match.
“I don’t think they’re gonna be too worried. It’s Jamie Maclaren. I think if he’s in and around that penalty area stiffing around the six yard box making his forward runs and, and providing space for (Marco) Tilio, (Andrew) Nabbout and (Mathew) Leckie, he’s going to get his chance.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that and as I said, he’s got a point to prove and he’ll be hungry to do it.”
BUY TICKETS FOR THE MELBOURNE CITY V SYDNEY FC, SECOND LEG SEMI FINAL
City are hopeful midfielder Aiden O’Neill will be fit for the second leg after back spasms ruled him out of last weekend’s contest.
“He trained the whole week, so he is putting his hand up,” City boss Rado Vidosic said.
“We missed him last week, so hopefully there won’t be any problems with his back. Then we can consider if he can start, or at least come off the bench in the second half.
“A few years ago he had a stress fracture in his back and he had bad back problems. I’m not an expert, but he just could not bend forward the day before we were travelling, and that travel would probably not be good for him.”
Meanwhile, Sydney have injury concerns of their own, as star wingers Robert Mak and Joe Lolley continue to manage respective hamstring injuries.
The Sky Blues are confident both will be good to go on Friday night, but questions remain as to where coach Steve Corica will unleash Lolley from the start after coming on as a substitute in the last two games.
BUY TICKETS FOR THE MELBOURNE CITY V SYDNEY FC, SECOND LEG SEMI FINAL
“I think he has to,” Cornthwaite said when asked whether Corica should start Lolley in the do-or-die second leg.
“The fact that he (Lolley) came on and replaced Mak on the weekend, and didn’t come on and play alongside him says to me that those two will start.
“We know Le Fondre is scoring goals. We know they need to win, although it’s a draw so they only need to win by a single goal. I think that he has to start both of them.
“They’re both his main attacking weapons and the way Max Burgess moves in between the lines and drifts in and out of games, he’s more than capable of slipping one of those players in.”
Their fellow attacker Le Fondre will be looking to continue his finals hot streak this weekend and become only the second Sydney player after Mark Bridge did so in March 2010 to score in three consecutive post-season games.
Opta stat: Sydney FC have won only two of their nine A-League Men finals matches outside New South Wales (D1, L6) – a 4-1 penalty shootout victory against Perth Glory (2018/2019 Grand Final) and a 4-2 penalty shootout win against Melbourne Victory (2009/2010 Grand Final).
MATCH DETAILS
Melbourne City v Sydney FC – second leg: (1-1 aggregate)
Friday, May 18 2023
AAMI Park
Kick-off: 7:45pm AEST
Broadcast: 10 Bold, 10 Play & Paramount+
Odds: City $1.88, Draw $3.60, Sydney $3.60
MATCH CENTRE | BUY TICKETS | HOW TO WATCH
Finals action continues in Gosford as Central Coast Mariners welcome Adelaide United to Industree Group Stadium for a second leg blockbuster.
The Mariners are 90 minutes away from booking their place in the Grand Final, after leaving the City of Churches with a 2-1 lead thanks to strikes from James McGarry and sharpshooter Jason Cummings.
A bumper crowd is expected to fill the terraces, as a win would end Central Coast’s 10 year wait to play in a decider – the last being back in 2013 where they won their one and only Championship against Western Sydney Wanderers.
BUY TICKETS TO CENTRAL COAST MARINERS V ADELAIDE UNITED, SECOND LEG
KEEPUP’S COVERAGE OF THE BUILD-UP TO THE SECOND LEG SEMI FINAL BETWEEN ADELAIDE AND CENTRAL COAST
CLOUGH: A-Leagues star once compared to Rooney made $5.5m sacrifice to ‘save’ historic club
TULIO: How Brazil talent factory’s $1.6m debt triggered ‘unbelievable’ A-Leagues heist
MONTGOMERY: Inside the making of Nick Montgomery: The Zoo, ‘people stealing cars’ & Premier League ‘ambition’
VEART VS MONTY: Ironic long ball sledge that’s sparked A-Leagues argument: All will be settled this week
MADANHA: Meet Adelaide’s latest teen talent who owns a special piece of A-Leagues history
PODCAST VIEW: Adelaide urged to make ‘blockbuster’ Irankunda call to answer ‘massive, massive question’
MARINERS: Rise & fall of the Central Coast Mariners: From ‘laughing stock’ to A-Leagues force
“They just embrace it. I think the fact that they haven’t been in a Grand Final for a decade, this is probably the best chance they’re going to get in some time,” Cornthwaite said.
“(A) full stadium is only going to help them and I think the reason is, Central Coast’s game is built on work ethic, that hasn’t been questioned at all this season. They always turn up in that sense and then they’ve got the quality and the tactical nous to get the better of Adelaide, they’ve done it three times.
“The only way they don’t go through is if the pressure gets to them, we don’t know how they’re going perform. They do have some young players but some experienced heads as well.
“I feel like they’re the team that’s peaked at the perfect moment and I expect them to get the job done.”
Adelaide, on the other hand, face an enormous hill to climb after surrendering their early lead against the Mariners last weekend and thus – the much-needed advantage going into an away second leg.
The Reds have remarkably only won once in 12 Isuzu UTE A-League finals outside of South Australia (L11) – a 2-1 victory against Brisbane Roar back in 2021 – and have remarkably conceded 2.6 goals per game in each of those contests.
Carl Veart’s side have the chips stacked against them, but simply have to win by one to send the game into extra time and stay in the tie for at least another half an hour, while winning by two in normal time would mean they progress to the Grand Final for the first time since 2016.
Adelaide will be without Hiroshi Ibusuki (calf), which means Veart will need to tinker his attack going into the second leg. George Blackwood and Luka Jovanovic are the most like-for-like replacements, but the wildcard option is Nestory Irankunda who is still yet to start a game in his short career despite his electrifying cameos.
BUY TICKETS TO CENTRAL COAST MARINERS V ADELAIDE UNITED, SECOND LEG
Reds legend Cornthwaite believes Veart should pull the trigger with Irankunda from the first minute, along with a host of other changes to chase the deficit.
“Obviously he’s (Veart) the manager, he’s stuck to his guns all season, he knows bringing on Nestory late against tired legs has worked so well for them so far, well, this is the thing if you start Nestor, you could be two up inside 20 minutes. You just don’t know.
“I think the other changes, I’d like to see (Ethan) Alagich come in for Isaias and play (Louis) D’Arrigo as a more defensive midfield role and I think Nestory in for Ben Halloran.
“That number nine position, Luka Jovanovic, let’s get some kids mobility, work ethic, they’re fearless. I want him to start.”
In the last two meetings, the Mariners have opted to man mark Irankunda by sending rising defender Jacob Farrell to him as a direct matchup – which has worked brilliantly in both contests.
BUY TICKETS TO CENTRAL COAST MARINERS V ADELAIDE UNITED, SECOND LEG
Whether it happens for a third time will be a curious watch come Saturday night.
“What a tactical and psychological battle, this is going to be between the two,” Cornthwaite said.
“So we’re talking about a 17-year-old and a 20-year-old. How are they gonna shape a Semi Final? McGarry was almost man of the match in the first leg, scored a wonderful goal. It’s gonna be huge and then you’ve got Mark Milligan yesterday saying in the media or maybe we’ll switch him over to the other side.
“The other thing about Nestory playing on the right is if he gets past Farrell, then you’ve got Brian Kaltak and he’s sneaky quick. He’s clocked 37 kilometers an hour this season. That’s up there with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Marcus Rashford.
“I think maybe switching him to the left and letting him cut him and hit it on his right could be a good option for Adelaide.”
If Adelaide do deploy Irankunda Plan B and switch the teen to the left wing to avoid both Farrell and Kaltak, the question then arises: what happens to Socceroos star Craig Goodwin?
“I think Adelaide’s best asset has been their left-hand side. Craig Goodwin with Ryan Kitto in behind him, they’ve been absolutely immense together as a partnership,” Mariners great Daniel McBreen said on this week’s episode of the Players Pod.
“We’ve waxed lyrical all year about Craig Goodwin and rightly so, but that partnership for me is the best on the left-hand side maybe outside of Jordy Bos and whoever partners him for City.
“Does that (moving Irankunda) have a big influence on the way Adelaide play? Does that take away from the connection… they have been so deadly down the left, to break those two up as well could hinder Adelaide.”
Opta stat: Jason Cummings (17 in 2022/23) is two away from equalling Daniel McBreen (19 in 2012/13) for the most goals in a single season for Central Coast Mariners in A-League Men history; he scored a goal in his most recent appearance against Adelaide United in the competition (2022/23 Semi Final).
MATCH DETAILS
Central Coast Mariners v Adelaide United – second leg: (2-1 aggregate)
Saturday, May 19 2023
Industree Group Stadium
Kick-off: 7:45pm AEST
Broadcast: 10 Bold, 10 Play & Paramount+
Odds: Mariners $1.83, Draw $3.80, Adelaide $3.50
MATCH CENTRE | BUY TICKETS | HOW TO WATCH
