Melbourne City will be on the hunt for their first piece of silverware on Wednesday night when they come up against Sydney FC in the Westfield FFA Cup Final at AAMI Stadium. The two teams sit atop the A-League ladder after eight rounds, adding an extra confidence booster for one team heading into the middle of the domestic competition.
The sides have yet to face off in the opening rounds of the A-League, however, they have clearly been the two dominant forces in the competition. Sydney lead the league with a 6-2-0 record from their eight games, while Melbourne City trail them by four points going 5-1-2.
Sydney’s defence has been remarkable, allowing a total of only three goals through their eight matches so far. However, Melbourne City boast arguably the most formidable attack in the competition, with Socceroo Tim Cahill joining star striker Bruno Fornarolli this season to form a scary one-two punch for any opposing defence.
Fornarolli tops the competition in goals with seven while Sydney FC’s duo of Alex Brosque and Milos Ninkovich lead the way for the Sky Blues with four a piece. Despite Sydney’s defence being the catalyst for their ladder leading position at the quarter mark of the season, their goal scoring capability is not one to be taken lightly. They lead the lead in goals scored with 18, giving them a ridiculous +15 goal difference, which is 10 better than their Victorian counterparts.
I think Sydney have a more well-rounded squad, that could be more capable of taking out the A-League due to its consistency throughout a long season. However, with the game being played in Melbourne, and with the big game players and superstars that Melbourne City boasts, I have this one-off title game slightly in their favour.
Melbourne City will most likely line up with the front three of Brandan Fernando, Bruce Kamau and Fornarolli, with a plethora of Socceroo experience in the midfield in the likes of Cahill, Neil Kilkenny, and Luke Bratton. I just see too much firepower here for the Sydney defence to handle, especially with their tails up after a good 2-1 win on the weekend and a fired-up home crowd behind them.
TIP: Melbourne City to Win - $2.30 at Sportsbet
Bruno Fornarolli has been in blistering form to begin the Hyundai A-League, scoring seven goals in eight games. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were to find the back of the net in arguably Melbourne City’s most important game in their short history.
TIP: Bruno Fornarolli to Score Anytime - $2 at Sportsbet
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