Macarthur FC head coach Mile Sterjovski has placed his faith in the attacking depth in his playing squad after losing captain Valere Germain to suspension for Sunday’s Australia Cup Final against Melbourne Victory.
The Frenchman scored his fourth goal of the tournament in Macarthur’s 1-0 Semi-Final win over South Melbourne FC on Sunday, September 22 but just moments before the final whistle at Lakeside Stadium, Germain received what Sterjovski has described as a “controversial” second yellow card, and the subsequent red that has sidelined the Bulls captain for the Final.
Click here to secure your Unite Round tickets TODAY!
Germain received his first caution of the evening for dissent and his second in the 97th minute, after a challenge on South Melbourne full-back Jack Painter-Andrews.
“In my opinion, it was a little controversial,” Sterjovski said, of referee Ben Abraham’s decision to send off his captain in the 97th minute of the Semi-Final.
“I don’t think there was any contact, I think both parties agreed to that after the game. It’s a difficult blow for us, but we’ll see this week at training who might fill that spot.”
“We have quality players that can play a few different positions,” he added. “We’ll see this week at training who does the best job there and we’ll go from there.”
CUP FINAL PREVIEW: Everything you need to know for Melbourne Victory v Macarthur FC
Sterjovski was joined by star Bulls signing Luke Brattan in addressing the media on Wednesday afternoon, in the midst of Macarthur’s preparations for the trip to AAMI Park to take on Melbourne Victory in the Australia Cup Final on Sunday, September 29.
Brattan, like Sterjovski, was equally perplexed about Germain’s suspension but backed the club’s cohort of exciting young forwards to fill the void in the Bulls attack.
“He’s disappointed,” said Brattan. “It’s a tough one, because I didn’t think it was a red card. You see that a lot in games where people are trying to block a long ball and the guy even said after it he didn’t really touch him.
“It’s a bit disappointing, he’s our captain, he’s one of our best players so he’s a big miss but we’ve got the squad to replace him, and I know whoever comes in will give it everything.
“He’s our main man up front, he’s irreplaceable but I think we’ve got quality in the final third, in multiple players. Whoever players will do a great job. Marin (Jakolis) has scored a fair few goals as well, Jakey (Hollman), (Daniel De Silva), Jed (Drew), they’ve all got goals in them.”
Brattan, who won the 2023 Australia Cup with Sydney FC and the 2016 edition of the tournament at Melbourne City, is relishing the early months of his time at the Bulls and the surge to Macarthur’s second Australia Cup Final in three years.
The Bulls have won 10 of their last 11 Australia Cup games, including the final against Sydney United 58 in 2022; Brattan, who is no stranger to success and lifting silverware in Australia, says staying focused on the task at hand amid the distractions of Australia Cup Final week is key to arriving at Sunday’s main event ready to seize the moment.
“They’re pretty hard to make, finals, so you’ve got to make the most of them,” he said.
“Starting at a new club, you’re ambitious and you want to win trophies so it’s a fantastic opportunity. Of course, I think we’ve got a great squad, a great bunch of boys, the staff have been great and I think we can do something special this year as well as in the cup.
“Like I said before, you don’t get in this position often so when you do, you’ve got to leave everything on the pitch and give it your all – and that’s what we’ll do on the weekend.
“You’ve just got to enjoy the week. There’s a bit more media around and a bit more hype, obviusly it’s a special game and a big week so you’ve got to enjoy it, try and stay as grounded as possible and do what you usually do and prepare as you would a normal game.
“With the other things going on they’re little distractions you don’t really think about. You stick to the plan and train all week on how to beat Victory, and go from there.”
The winner of the 2024 Australia Cup Final will book a spot in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s new second-tier continental tournament in 2025-26: the AFC Champions League Two.
The ACL Two has replaced the AFC Cup as the second-highest level of continental club competition in Asia this season and as 2023 Australia Cup winners, Sydney FC are representing the Isuzu UTE A-League in the first edition of the tournament.
Macarthur featured in the 2023-24 AFC Cup but were defeated 3-2 by A-Leagues rivals Central Coast Mariners in a dramatic Zonal Final; Bulls head coach Sterjovski believes his side could have gone all the way had they emerged from that all-A-Leagues clash victorious, and is eager to turn Sunday’s Australia Cup Final into the catalyst for another tilt at AFC silverware.
“It’s an exciting time. The club has been through a bit in the last few years, and for a club of our size coming up against a big club like Victory, it will mean a lot to us,” he said.
“We know that it qualifies us for Asia, so there’s a lot riding on it. We’re looking forward to it, and the boys are really pumped for the match.
“I think we represented Macarthur really well (in the AFC Cup)… it was unfortunate to go out to the eventual winners but I feel like if we got past that hurdle we could’ve gone all the way ourselves.
“It’s something we look forward to as a club, we want to be successful, not only here in Australia but we want to put the club on the map around the world, too.”
Macarthur face Melbourne Victory in the Australia Cup Final at AAMI Park on Sunday, September 29 (kick-off 7.10pm AEST).
How to watch?
The 2024 Australia Cup final will be available to watch on 10 Bold, while it will also be streamed live and free on 10 Play.
Australia Cup Final 2024 Details
Melbourne Victory v Macarthur FC
Date: Sunday, 29 September 2024
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
Kick-off: 7:10pm AEST
FULL FIXTURE: Every match here
DERBY DATES: The matches to circle in your calendar now
TALKING POINTS: What you need to know about the 24-25 draw, inc new TV schedule
