The 2023 Australia Cup semi-final matchups are locked in after Sydney FC secured the final place in the final four on Sunday afternoon.
Sydney FC booked their place in the 2023 Australia Cup final four after thumping Western United on Sunday, setting up a meeting against reigning Isuzu UTE A-League premiers Melbourne City in the semi-finals on Sunday afternoon.
Anthony Caceres, Patrick Wood and Jack Rodwell all found the net as the Sky Blues romped past Western 3-0 at Leichhardt Oval to secure the last spot on offer in the final four. NPL club Melbourne Knights take on Brisbane Roar in the other semi-final, with both games taking place on Sunday, September 24.
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SEMI FINAL MATCHUPS
Melbourne City v Sydney FC
Sunday, September 24
AAMI Park
Kick-off: 3pm AEST
Broadcast: Live on 10 Play
Melbourne Knights v Brisbane Roar
Sunday, September 24
Knights Stadium
Kick-off: 6pm AEST
Broadcast: Live on 10 Play
Steve Corica’s side will now travel south to face City, in a rematch of last year’s A-League Men’s semis, which they lost 4-1 on aggregate in May. The two sides have history in the Cup too, having played in the 2016 Final which City won 1-0 at AAMI Park thanks to a goal from Tim Cahill.
Sydney were impressive on the counter attack on Sunday afternoon, with the likes of Joe Lolley and Caceres causing headaches for the Western defence.
Wood – on the other hand – continued to throw up a healthy selection dilemma for Corica, by scoring his third goal in three games and stamping his claim to lead the line this season in wake of Brazilian striker Fabio Gomes’ arrival in mid-week.
City, on the other hand, survived a stern test from MetroStars last Thursday night and will be hoping to have the likes of Jamie Maclaren, Nuno Reis and Callum Talbot available for selection after they missed the clash in South Australia.
Meanwhile, NPL Victoria outfit Melbourne Knights will host Brisbane Roar.
It will be Ben Cahn’s side’s first matchup against an A-Leagues opposition throughout their 2023 Cup run, having beaten NPL sides Lions FC, Campbelltown City and Heidelberg United en route to the final four.
Should the former National Soccer League giants win, they will become only the second member federation team to make the final of the competition after Sydney United 58 did so last year.
Brisbane – on the other hand – have been very impressive in their Cup run to date, particularly in their 4-2 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers in Saturday night’s quarter-final.
The match will also see two brothers go head-to-head with Brisbane’s Henry Hore, facing Knights’ Mitchell.
Incredibly, both players found the net in their quarter-final victories, with the latter scoring a 97th minute winner against the Bergers – which was his third of the tournament – while Henry has two to his name in the Cup.
Football Australia confirmed the two semi-final matches will take place on Sunday September 24 and Wednesday September 27, with the final fixture to be confirmed on Monday.
RE-LIVE SYDNEY FC’S 3-0 WIN OVER WESTERN UNITED VIA KEEPUP’S LIVE BLOG
