It’s all on the line in the Elimination Final as we face Perth Glory for the chance to progress to the Semi Final. See all the points, stats and quotes ahead of the encounter.
The clash
A spot in the Semi Final is on the line on Sunday night as Melbourne City take on Perth Glory in the Elimination Final.
The two meet for the second time in two weeks after playing out one of the most peculiar games of football the domestic game has seen in the 5-4 contest.
Sunday’s clash will have a lot more riding on it and both sides are expecting a tighter contest despite averaging over five goals a match in the past seven clashes between Perth and City.
Despite this, the aura of finals football will bring a unique element to the contest as City will look to replicate their 2015/16 Elimination Final result.
Team News
Michael Valkanis has named an unchanged squad for the Elimination Final. See our full team news here.
The last time
We don’t have to look too far to remember the last result between the two sides as the Glory came out on top in the nine-goal thriller at nib Stadium.
Tim Cahill’s brace headlined City’s four goals despite going 4-1 down at one stage and then going agonisingly close to picking up a point that they arguably deserved.
The difference this time around is City’s home ground advantage and they will look to make it count on Sunday night.
Stats and facts
- There have been 37 goals scored in the last seven games between these teams, with City winning two times in that span and drawing twice.
- Melbourne City’s only previous post-season fixture at AAMI Park ended in a 2-0 victory against Perth Glory (April 2016).
- Melbourne City have made 12,219 passes so far this season, the second-most of any team, whilst Perth Glory (9,660) are the only team yet to break past the 10,000 mark.
- Tim Cahill has scored three goals from four shots in his last two games against Perth Glory.
What was said this week
Tim Cahill
“The game [last Sunday] was a mess. I don’t think I’ve played in a game like it ever,” he said.
“It’s all in our hands now, we’re at home, we’ve trained really well and the togetherness is really strong. There’s still so much to play for.”
“I suppose this sort of playoff mentality is probably the best position that we can be in now. Everything’s on the line and in the big games we’ve had to win [this season] we’ve won them.
“Here you have a playoff so you get another bite of the cherry, so for us it’s all to play for and I’m excited for more football.” Full article
Perth captain Rostyn Griffiths
“We’ve been picking up some good results in the last few weeks, some players have stepped up and we’ve got some big-name players and I’ve said all along we’ve got players that have played in the Premier League, we’ve got boys who’ve played in La Liga.
“We always seem to do well in knockout competitions. We got to two FFA Cup Finals, so when it comes to knockouts we’ve got boys who can step up on the day and like I said we take heart from the weekend’s game.
“We’re going in with momentum as well. We’ve been building for the last few weeks, hopefully it won’t be the same as the weekend game but if we win by one more I’ll be happy”
Where and when
City face Perth Glory on Sunday night, kick-off 7pm at AAMI Park.
Get behind your City on Sunday in the Elimination Final! Click here to secure your place at the match today!
