Melbourne City FC is set to face fellow Finals contender Macarthur FC in a high-stakes clash at Campbelltown Stadium this Saturday night.
The outcome of the match will be certain to have ramifications around the top of the table, with City needing every point it can get to hold onto first place whilst Macarthur looks to guarantee themselves a Finals spot.
City’s pursuit of that objective was aided by its midweek 2-1 win on the road against Brisbane Roar. The severely depleted visitors fell behind early thanks to a 9th-minute Henry Hore strike, but hit back almost immediately when Florin Berenguer forced an own-goal from Kai Trewin. In the second half, a debut A-League goal from Raphael Borges Rodrigues would prove the difference as the 18-year-old’s winner secured a vital three points for his side.
Whilst the team faces a short turnaround following that result, it’s certainly something they’ve become acclimatised to this season and will have already moved on from the match as they prepare to secure another massive three points against Macarthur for the second time in 2021/22.
When the teams first met just a few weeks ago, it was the visiting Bulls who struck first through Apostolos Giannou, but City persisted and were able to net two first half goals, firstly through Adrian Mariappa who put the ball into his own net and then through Florin Berenguer just before half-time. Later, Moudi Najjar brought down Marco Tilio inside the area, enabling Jamie Maclaren to step up and secure all three points as he scored the third and final goal.
More recently, the Bulls were comprehensively accounted for by the Central Coast Mariners, with Marco Urena striking either side of Matthew Hatch and Noah Smith’s goals to see the home team net four times past Filip Kurto. Macarthur’s consolations arrived through Mariappa and Lachlan Rose.
In the four meetings between City and Macarthur, the former has never lost, winning three times and drawing once.
The A-League Men’s current Golden Boot leader Maclaren also has a great record in the fixture, netting three goals in three games against the Bulls.
City’s #9 returns to the matchday squad following some time away on national team duties, so City fans will hope to see a continuation of the strong records of both Maclaren and the team in our upcoming meeting with Macarthur.
Match Details
A-League Men
Macarthur FC vs Melbourne City FC
Saturday 26 March, kick-off 7:45pm
Campbelltown Stadium
Live on Channel 10 and Paramount+
