Patrick Kisnorbo’s men are closing in on the final stages of the FFA Cup, with the team next set to face Wellington Phoenix in the Quarter-Finals on Wednesday night.
This fixture will mark our first at our new home of Casey Fields and will be free to enter for all spectators! Members will be able to show their membership card or mobile barcode to gain entry, while non-members can click here to redeem a free ticket.
Five rounds into the 2021/22 Izuzu UTE A-League season, Melbourne City finds itself mid-table with eight points from its opening five games. The results thus far have often belied promising performances, so the team will be seeking to comprehensively progress to the final four of the FFA Cup on Wednesday night.
City’s last fixture was an unforgettable one: a Christmas Derby for the ages, as the two Melbourne sides played out an exhilarating 2-2 draw.
Victory opened the scoring from a quickly-taken free-kick, with Jake Brimmer picking out the run of Francesco Margiotta for the Italian to finish first time past Tom Glover.
The City boys were down at the break but came out firing, netting twice in just three minutes. First it was Jamie Maclaren, who was expertly picked out at the back post by Andrew Nabbout, with the provider turning scorer minutes later when he was found by Marco Tilio for the header following some rapid footwork to create space from his defender.
City’s good work would be undone in the 81st minute though, with Ivan Kelava’s indiscriminate clearance somehow finding Nick D’Agostino over the top for the striker to finish past Glover, despite the City shot-stopper getting a hand to the effort.
A red card for Jamie Maclaren in the final minute of stoppage time capped off an enthralling finale to the clash, with both fans feeling their side deserved more as the final scoreline read 2-2. That red card also means Maclaren will be unavailable for selection on Wednesday.
Eager to finally establish the kind of winning run that propelled us to the top of the table last season, the City boys will be looking to Wednesday’s FFA Cup clash as a fantastic opportunity to both progress to the next stage and to get that winning momentum going again.
Wellington have struggled in the early stages of the 2021/22 season, conceding a league-high 10 goals as they currently occupy 10th-place on the table.
Last Sunday, the Phoenix succumbed to a 2-1 defeat away to Sydney in a contest where they largely struggled to create chances other than their late consolation goal.
To compound their defensive woes, Wellington lost goalkeeper Oli Sail mid-match on Sunday to a hip flexor injury, whilst fullback James McGarry is sidelined with a knee problem. Star forward Gary Hooper’s unavailability due to personal reasons is ongoing.
In addition to Maclaren’s suspension, City have multiple stars in doubt with Mathew Leckie having already missed Saturday’s Derby with a slight niggle, whilst Nuno Reis picked up a hamstring issue mid-match.
Match Details
FFA Cup Quarter Final
Melbourne City FC vs Wellington Phoenix FC
Wednesday 22 December, kick-off 7:30pm
Casey Fields (Casey Demons VFL Oval)
Click here to redeem free ticket