The clash
Melbourne City FC will be out to create history this Saturday afternoon, aiming to win its fourth championship in its fifth season in the league.
City will also be attempting to do the double and add the championship to the premiership it won after going through the season undefeated.
It will be hosting Sydney FC at AAMI Park in this Saturday’s Grand Final.
City got its finals campaign off to the perfect start, recording a resounding 5-1 win in last Sunday’s semi-final against the Wanderers.
The match couldn’t have started better for City who took a 3-0 lead into half-time after first half goals to Claire Emslie, Kyah Simon and Rebekah Stott.
The Wanderers looked like mounting a comeback early in the second half when Cortnee Vine found the back of the net in the 51st minute but any chance of that was quickly wiped away when Emslie found an unmarked Simon in the box and she was able to fire a header home to restore the three-goal advantage.
In contrast, the other semi-final couldn’t have been a more different game with Sydney beating Victory 0-1 away from home.
A well-placed cross from Ally Green found Veronica Latsko who made no mistake in the 14th minute.
Sydney worked hard to hold this lead for the duration of the game, despite Victory having six more shots and eight more corners.
This will also be the third time these two teams have squared off in a Grand Final, with City having won both the 2016 and 2018 championships by score lines of 4-1 and 0-2 respectively.
In the one meeting between teams this season, City were able to pick up all three points away from home, winning 2-1.
Emily van Egmond opened scoring in the second minute before Sofia Huerta hit back for the home team just before half-time.
The match looked destined for a draw before Milica Mijatovic slammed home the winner in the 76th minute.
Where to watch
The match will be broadcast live on FOX Sports and ABC, while also streamed on Kayo Sports, MyFootball App and ABC iView.
What was said
Melbourne City FC captain Steph Catley
“I’ve never been in a team with so many incredible, talented players that have the motivation to win like we do.
“Before we go out, there’s so much energy in the change room and you can look at any person in our team and know they’re so up for the game and they want to win so much for this team and they’re going to do whatever they can to make that happen.”
Where and when
This year’s Grand Final will be held on Saturday March 21st at AAMI Park, kick-off 3:30pm. Due to the current COVID-19 situation, this match will be played behind closed doors so we encourage all City fans to show their support for the team on social media.
