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After a long and gruelling season that saw the race for the top six come down to the final week of home and away action, the combatants have now been set and the Elimination Finals will decide the two clubs that will advance to the final four.
Western United enjoy home ground advantage against the Reds on Friday night before Saturday night explodes in Parramatta, when the Wanderers take on Victory in what looms one of the matches of the season to date.
Good luck with your tips for the first weekend of finals and be sure to enter them in the sheet below to have a say in the voice of the people that stumbled in the final round of home and away action. Here is the way the panel sees all the drama playing out across the weekend.
United, Western Sydney
A couple of genuinely cracking elimination finals kick off proceedings, and they do so in windy Tarneit… which seems to give John Aloisi’s team actual home ground advantage. They’ll make the most of it, with the green-and-blacks last losing at home on February 15.
They’ve since gone on to win five in a row at Ironbark Fields, and while Adelaide United will put up a fight, I expect the red-hot home side to be too much for Carl Veart’s men.
Let’s get ready to rumble! The APL has missed a trick by not labelling this clash THE ELIMINATOR but they’ll be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of two of the biggest clubs in the land going head to head in Parramatta.
This looks like a fascinating clash on paper, with Western Sydney coming in on the back of another big away win, against a Victory side that has flattered to deceive. This one will be tight, but it’s the Wanderers to win.
Adelaide, Victory
After my best week of the tipping season last time out, the winners in the Elimination Finals look a cinch to predict. There will be far too much pressure on Western United’s kids when they face Adelaide, a team given a free swing after reversing into the finals.
Somehow, I feel the Reds get it done, potentially in a high scoring 4-3 or 5-4 result. The dream remains alive for the Reds and the weird feeling of a coach departing remaining in the final four will not be overlooked.
The Victory were a shade better across the course of the season than the Wanderers, yet Western Sydney have been solid of late and barely dropped points when it really mattered. The fans will be out in droves at CommBank and some might feel that will get the home team over the line.
I’m seeing things differently and a triumph for the visitors off the back of a late second half goal for a 2-1 win.
United, Western Sydney
These seem to be the consensus picks among my colleagues. A third versus sixth showdown from Ironbank seems pretty straight forward with the Reds sneaking in after Sydney’s poor season.
The CommBank clash should be a fun watch but I’ll stick with the hosts.
United, Western Sydney
After a season of complete unpredictability which has rendered this so-called pundit a blithering mess, it would be tempting to just go rogue and tip against form or common sense. But surely Adelaide, who fell over the line like a drunk trying to navigate a tightrope, have no answer to an exuberant Western.
They’ve already announced the departure of Carl Veart and part of me wants them to win it all now just to bring out the peak A-League hashtag all over again. With this week’s transfer embargo placed on the hosts, now is the time to shoot for silverware.
Attacking options like Botic, Ibusuki and Danzaki will surely be too much for an Adelaide defence which even allowed Perth to score 4 against them.
Hiroshi Ibusuki (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
The 4th vs 5th clash on Saturday looks less straightforward. The Wanderers have carried the best form of the league into the playoffs. But there’s probably not a more experienced clutch finals opponent than Victory.
Zac Sapsford has emerged as the best young player in the league with his attacking prowess, aided by the annoyingly effervescent Brendan Borrello. The Wanderers are the season’s top scorers, facing a Victory side who often relied on defensive steel to get them results, but who also have some attacking tricks of their own.
Could be a thriller worthy of their 2-2 draw earlier in the season. I fancy this will need to be decided in longer than 90 minutes. Wanderers in extra time to send a hopefully big home crowd home happy.
United, Victory
Western United were superb in their victory over premiers Auckland FC last week, although the result was ultimately in vain as Melbourne City clinched the Asian Champions League spot. Adelaide United seemed dead and buried after losing in Perth last month but somehow held on to sixth spot and their final-day watch party would have seen many holidays put on hold.
The return of Hiroshi Ibusuki will be the key to Western United’s chances, and Ironbark Fields will have its biggest crowd for a classic finals encounter. Archie Goodwin continues his amazing form in front of goal to head home a pinpoint Dylan Pierias cross for 1-0, Noah Botic bundles home an immediate equaliser as the teams trade blows in the first ten minutes.
A game packed with incident and entertainment is finally settled though late in the second half as Angus Thurgate slips a pass through for Ibusuki, who coolly finishes to claim the semi-final spot and send the Adelaide players off on their vacations.
The second elimination final is a massive game, played out in front of a big crowd with a healthy away presence. Melbourne Victory threw away three points on the final day with a comedy defensive lapse, but the game didn’t have much riding on it after Western Sydney Wanderers had wrapped up the hosting rights for the elimination final the night before.
Western Sydney are on a roll and at home to start the A-League finals. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
What a scene for an A-League classic, and when Nicolas Milanovic blasts home an early goal from an acute angle, Commbank Stadium is rocking. The Wanderers play a superb first half with a host of chances squandered, and that comes back to haunt them in the second half when Zinedine Machach races through the midfield to curl a 25-yard shot around Laurence Thomas with the outside of his left foot for an outrageous equaliser.
The final twenty minutes is breathtaking, and the impish Daniel Arzani, bearing the brunt of the home crowd’s ire following some pantomime play-acting, gets to the byline and pulls the ball back for Ryan Teague to thrash home the winner.
| Elimination Finals | Mike | Stuart | David | Andrew | Texi | Crowd |
| WUN v ADL | WUN | ADL | WUN | WUN | WUN | ? |
| WSW v MVC | WSW | MVC | WSW | WSW | MVC | ? |
| Last week | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Total | 77 | 66 | 77 | 63 | 60 | 79 |
As always, get involved as part of the ladder-leading Crowd to take on The Roar’s expert tipsters using the form below.