The 2016-17 A-League Grand Final is this Sunday, the 7th of May and features arguably the two most storied clubs in the league going toe to toe in Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory. Sydney have had one of the most dominant A-League seasons in history and backed it up with a 3-0 decimation of Perth Glory in the semi-final on the weekend.
It would be a fitting end to a season of utter dominance from Sydney, who are yet to pick up any silverware, with one of their only two losses on the season coming at the hands of Melbourne City in the FFA Cup Final. The Sky Blues maintained a ridiculous 20-6-1 record through the regular season with an absolutely staggering +43 goal difference, which is the highest mark in A-League history.
The Victory enter the game after a nailbiting 1-0 win over Brisbane Roar in Melbourne on Sunday night. Victory striker Bersat Berisha was once again the man of the moment as he put away a 70th minute header to give Melbourne the lead before 20 minutes of frantic defence iced the game for the home side.
Melbourne Victory’s season would have also been a great one if it wasn’t for the massive shadow cast by their arch rivals. They finished the regular season with an impressive 15-4-8 record and a healthy +18 goal difference. As they had their 2nd place on the ladder well and truly wrapped up months out from the end of the season, they went into cruise control in the last few games as they prepared for their finals campaign.
The game will kick off at 5pm from Allianz Stadium, where the Sky Blues are still undefeated throughout the season and have allowed just 4 goals through 13 games. Some questions have been asked about the potential condition of the pitch on Sunday, as the Warratahs host the Blues in the Super Rugby League on Saturday night. However, stadium officials have stated that staff will be working around the clock from the moment the final whistle sounds on Saturday night until kick off on Sunday.
Probable Lineups
Both teams will likely go into the game with unchanged sides from their respective semi-final wins. Sydney star midfielder Milos Ninkovic was earlier in the week awarded with the Johnny Warren medal for the season’s best player and will be a primary focus for the Melbourne defence. His 8 gaols and 10 assists on the season has been a catalyst for Sydney’s dominance and shutting down him is the first step towards beating the Sky Blue juggernaut.
While their attack can’t be underrated, it’s Sydney’s defence that has been the mainstay in their dominant season, proven by a ridiculous 12 goals against throughout a 28-game season so far. Their season includes 17 clean sheets which is 3 more than any season total in A-League history.
For Melbourne, it’s their attacking three that has carried them throughout the season in returning players Marco Rojas, James Troisi and the all-time A-League leading goal scorer Bersat Berisha. Sydney FC will have lasting nightmares about Berisha, who scored the first and arguably match winning goal in Melbourne’s defeat of Sydney in the 2015 A-League Grand Final.
As for Troisi and Rojas, both have returned to the club after extended periods oversees and both have proved to be two of the most dominant attacking midfielders in the league. Rojas in particular has slotted 12 goals and set up another 11 on the season so far and should be a massive challenge for the Sydney defence down the right wing.
2016-17 A-League Grand Finals Predictions
The beauty of the A-League that seperates it from most soccer leagues around the world is the fact that it doesn’t matter who has been the dominant team all season. All the records are thrown away now, and it all comes down to this match. The Victory just win, it’s what they’ve been doing since the A-League’s inception with three titles in 11 years and the 2015 grand final loss at the hands of Melbourne will still be in the back of the Sydney players minds.
Regardless of all of Sydney’s dominance, it’s too juicy to pass up the opportunity to get $3 odds for Melbourne to lift their record fourth A-League trophy.
TIP: Melbourne Victory to lift the cup - $3 at Ladbrokes
We liked Bersat Berisha to score in the semi-final and he came through with the goods. A season that has seen him break the all-time A-League goal scoring record would have a fitting ending if he were to score the crucial goal in the Grand Final. At $2.88, he looks the most likely Melbourne player to score.
TIP: Bersat Berisha to score anytime - $2.88 at Sportsbet
On the Sydney side of the ball, striker Bobo will line up at the front of the attack, but in big games in the past it’s been attacking midfielder Alex Brosque who has shown the potential to do damage on the score sheet. With Bernie Ibini a possible substitute for Bobo, Brosque should play out the whole game and have a decent chance at scoring.
TIP: Alex Brosque to score anytime - $3 at Sportsbet
As you’d expect with so much on the line, Grand Finals in the A-League are played extremely defensively, with either team wanting to give up that first opportunity at goal. Of the 11 A-League Grand Finals played so far, only two have rendered first goals inside the 30 minute mark, while seven of the first goals have come outside the 50 minute mark. With spread betting hitting Australia through PointsBet recently, we like the first goal market to be AFTER the 35th minute. So even if the game is a snooze fest, your winnings will be counting up with every minute.
TIP: Spread Bet – Time of first goal AFTER 35th minute - PointsBet
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
