Melbourne City FC will return to AAMI Park for the final time this A-League Men season with the Premiers Plate on the line when it faces Wellington on Monday night.
This will mark City’s first home game in a month and the stakes couldn’t be higher as we looks to make it back-to-back Premierships.
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Here’s what you should be keeping an eye out for.
Must win Monday
Following other results, it’s a clear equation for City come Monday night’s final game of the season; nothing less than a win will see us Premiers.
Patrick Kisnorbo’s men will be looking to lift the Plate on AAMI Park for the second consecutive year, but it will have to get past Wellington first if its to do so.
The Phoenix come into Monday night’s clash full of confidence after securing Finals last time out with a win over Western Sydney, while City suffered a tough loss despite creating plenty of chance away to Perth.
These teams have already met once this season when City picked up a 6-0 win in New South Wales in April.
Back-to-back-to-back for JMac?
Jamie Maclaren and winning Golden Boots, it’s been a common theme in recent seasons.
Our number nine has won two consecutive Golden Boots, adding to the one he’d previously won before pulling on the City blue.
While his 2021/22 goal tally of 14 (18 in all competitions for Club and country) may not be quite as high as we’ve seen in recent seasons, it’s still enough to be leading the Golden Boot with just one fixture remaining.
The main challenger came in the way of Newcastle’s Beka Mikeltadze, with the Georgian international sitting on 13 goals behind Maclaren – but having drawn a blank on Saturday night – it would take a miracle for one of the trailing pack to deny Maclaren his fourth Golden Boot.
A revitalised City line-up
After 26 days on the road, the City boys are now back home and have been for a few days following a their ACL campaign in tough conditions and a quick stopover in Perth.
While it’s still a relatively short turnaround from our last fixture, the squad and coaching staff have now had a few nights in their own bed and been able to spend time with family for the first time in almost a month.
Expect to see a mentally and physically refreshed and revitalised City outfit on Monday night, and it couldn’t have come at a better time with a chance to win silverware on AAMI Park.
