It has been a fairytale debut season for Auckland FC but over the next two weeks they will face one of the biggest tests in the A-Leagues: Taking down Melbourne Victory at finals time. aleagues.com.au previews a mammoth two-legged Semi-Final matchup.
On paper, recently crowned Premiers Auckland FC should be overwhelming favourites to host the Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final on May 31.
They finished a massive 10 points clear of Semi-Final opponents Melbourne Victory, won three more matches, boasted a goal difference that was 14 superior and did not lose either of the meetings between the pair during the regular season – including a 2-0 win at AAMI Park not even a month ago.
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However, as head coach Steve Corica will know all too well, anything can happen in the Finals Series, particularly when Melbourne Victory are involved.
Arthur Diles may be a first season head coach who has never tasted the business end of the campaign, but he is at the helm of a club with pedigree greater than any other when it comes to playing for the trophy in May.
No club has won more finals matches (18) or more Semi-Finals matches (8).
“Victory is a club that historically, when you think of them in big moments, big games, finals, they always stand up,” Sydney Morning Herald reporter Vince Rugari said on Total A-Leagues.
“They win the ones that you don’t think they’ll win and, most famously, they crash the party.”
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Former A-Leagues winger Tommy Oar added: “Winning it from fifth, I don’t think any team’s ever done that before, so I wouldn’t put it past them.
“They have a lot of those big characters in the team, big personalities. We’ve spoken about a few times this season, where sometimes it can be kind of a hindrance, or it can be an obstacle, having more egos in your team, but I think when it comes to finals time, you can see they’ve got the bit between their teeth.
“They’re determined. I think it plays to your advantage, because these players, they’re not afraid of the big occasion. They put in one of their best performances against the Wanderers. I think Auckland will be nervous going into this game.”
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Indeed, where Auckland earned a week off after topping the table, the Victory turned in a strong performance in last weekend’s Elimination Final victory over Western Sydney Wanderers and their key players stood up.
Left-back Kasey Bos is in supreme goal-scoring form, having scored three goals in his last three matches; the midfield double pivot of Ryan Teague and Jordi Valadon continue to control the engine room; many consider the attack at Diles’ disposal to be the strongest across the Isuzu UTE A-League with the x-factor of Zinedine Machach, Nishan Velupillay and, perhaps most notably, Daniel Arzani.
The Socceroos winger has been imperious since national team boss Tony Popovic lit a fire under him earlier this season and his output is only improving as evidenced by his Man of the Match showing in last week’s Elimination Final.
However, if any team has the defensive solidity to blunt this Victory arsenal, it is Auckland.
The tightest rearguard in the competition over 26 rounds, there is no doubting the quality of Hiroki Sakai, Nando Pijnaker, Dan Hall and Francis De Vries, before you even get to the at times superhuman goalkeeping exploits of Alex Paulsen.
BUY TICKETS TO THIS SATURDAY’S SEMI-FINAL BETWEEN MELBOURNE VICTORY AND AUCKLAND FC
Across 180 minutes this season, Victory are yet to score against the Black Knights.
When it was put to him that Auckland would need to ‘have a plan’ for Arzani,” Oar responded:
“De Vries and Sakai, who are probably the two best full backs in the league, against Velupillay and Arzani, I think that’s where this game is going to be won and lost for both teams, because that is such a mouthwatering prospect.
“I don’t think Auckland will give Arzani as much opportunity to face forward and run at defenders.
“I think that you can expect both of those fullbacks to be really tight, but Arzani, when he’s in this type of form, you wouldn’t put it past him to find a way to get the better of them.”
Having said that, Auckland boast firepower of their own, through the likes of Guillerno May, Logan Rogerson and Max Mata, while their midfield dynamos Jake Brimmer and Louis Verstraete, who has been among the finds of the season, will create a serious arm wrestle in the middle of the park.
Being a two-legged tie, there is added jeopardy in play.
Next weekend, Auckland FC return to play in front of what is almost certain to be a packed out Go Media Stadium, a venue where they have lost just once since their inception, boasting the best home record in the competition.
With that in mind, this week’s first leg is crucial for the Victory’s chances of pulling off a major upset to deny New Zealand the chance to host a Grand Final for the first time.
“I think if you look at Auckland’s record at home, they’re obviously going to have an expanded capacity for this finals game as well, you can probably expect a pretty tough place to go for your second leg,” Oar said.
“I think if you’re going to that second leg needing to win, it could be really difficult.
“I think that for Melbourne Victory to have a realistic chance of winning this tie, they probably need to win this game this weekend with their home crowd behind them.
“We saw Auckland beat them in the final game of the season, but I think Melbourne Victory weren’t poor in that game. It was more just not taking advantage of the opportunities they created. So, you know, I think this is going to be a really tight one to call, and what a contest it’s going to be.”
The stage is set for a blockbuster.
Watch Melbourne Victory host Auckland FC in the Semi-Final first leg this Saturday at AAMI Park from 7:35pm AEST / 9:35pm NZT. Watch live on 10 Bold, 10 Play & Paramount+ in Australia or Sky Sport NZ in New Zealand.
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Ins & Outs: Melbourne Victory v Auckland FC
Melbourne Victory squad: 4. Lachlan JACKSON, 5. Brendan HAMILL, 6. Ryan TEAGUE, 7. Daniel ARZANI, 8. Zinedine MACHACH, 9. Nikolaos VERGOS, 10. Bruno FORNAROLI, 11. Clerismario SANTOS RODRIGUES, 14. Jordi VALADON, 16. Joshua INSERRA, 17. Nishan VELUPILLAY, 18. Fabian MONGE, 19. Jing REEC, 21. Roderick MIRANDA, 22. Joshua RAWLINS, 23. Alexander BADOLATO, 25. Jack DUNCAN, 27. Reno PISCOPO, 28. Kasey BOS, 30. Daniel GRASKOSKI
Ins: 27. Reno PISCOPO (promoted)
Outs: 3. Adama TRAORE (injured)
Unavailable: 1. Mitch LANGERAK (injured)
Auckland FC squad: 1. Michael WOUD, 2. Hiroki SAKAI, 4. Nando PIJNAKER, 5. Tommy SMITH, 6. Louis VERSTRAETE, 7. Cameron HOWIESON, 8. Luis TOOMEY, 9. Max MATA, 10. Guillermo MAY, 11. Marlee FRANÇOIS, 12. Alex PAULSEN, 14. Liam GILLION, 15. Francis DE VRIES, 17. Callan ELLIOT, 21. Jesse RANDALL, 22. Jake BRIMMER, 23. Dan HALL, 25. Neyder MORENO, 27. Logan ROGERSON, 28. Luis Felipe GALLEGOS
(Two to be omitted)
Ins: 8. Luis TOOMEY, 14. Liam GILLION
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: Nil
