Melbourne City will be looking to finish the A-League Men’s regular season on a strong note, hosting Western United at AAMI Park on Sunday.
In what will be the second leg of a big City doubleheader, Aurelio Vidmar’s side will be looking for their third consecutive win to go into Finals on a strong note.
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Here are a few things to keep your eyes out for when we take to the pitch on Sunday evening.
What’s at stake?
Heading into the final round of the season, our Finals position is not yet locked in – with plenty hinging on the result of Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney’s Saturday night clash.
Put simply, any result other than a Wanderers win will see us locked into Finals football, but if Western Sydney do get the three points on the road, we’ll need to beat Western United.
A potential fifth-placed finish could also be on the cards should Sydney FC fail to win at home to Perth Glory earlier on Sunday, but regardless of where we do finish – an away Elimination Final would face us next weekend if we do qualify.
Continuing a good run
It’s been a frustratingly inconsistent season for our City boys, and that’s perhaps best shown by the fact we’re yet to string together three successive wins.
We’ll have the chance to do just that on Sunday though, which would set us up perfectly to head into Finals in our best form of the campaign to date.
An A-League Men’s record win over Perth was last weekend backed up with an impressive 2-1 win away to the Wanderers, also marking the first time we’d won on the road since January.
Wingers Leo Natel and Marin Jakolis blasted us ahead in the first half, before a result defensive performance in the second 45’ ensured we’d return home with all three points.
Aurelio Vidmar will be hoping for more of the same come Sunday, Natel in particular looking to continue a nice run of form – netting three goals across our last two games.
Are any changes required?
Speaking with media on Friday, Vidmar made it clear that regardless of the permutations facing the team pre-match, it would be his strongest possible XI taking to the pitch.
After such an impressive fortnight, there wouldn’t appear to be many obvious changes to make to the line-up ahead of Sunday.
Three players were on Thursday added to the extended squad, Callum Talbot and Patrick Beach now back from Olyroos duty, while Scott Galloway is also fit to return after being sidelined for an extended period.
Talbot would appear the most likely to slot back into the XI, replacing stand-in right-back Steven Ugarkovic.
Vidmar may be hesitant to pull the trigger straight away for that move, noting the usual midfielder had been performing ‘exceptionally well’ in the unfamiliar role, while Talbot has also recently suffered back spasms while away with the Olyroos.
Match Details
A-League Men: Round 26
Melbourne City FC v Western United
Sunday 28 April, 5:00pm KO
AAMI Park
