Heading into their seventh consecutive Grand Final, Sydney FC will be looking to write their name in the Liberty A-League history book with a total of five Grand Final wins.
This weekend’s closing act will be a race between the Sky Blues and Melbourne City to see who can secure five Grand Final wins. City who have won four championships in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020 will host the Sky Blues at AAMI Park after capping off the season with the most points.
The squads will be entering familiar territory as their rivalry runs deep in finals history. Their last Grand Final meeting in 2019/2020 ended in a nail biting 1-0 match in favour of Melbourne. The opening and match winning goal in the 15th minute was netted by current Arsenal player and Matildas representative Steph Catley. Despite Melbourne’s dominance in a Grand Final fixture, Sydney FC have won the most recent Grand Final and were runners up in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Ones To Watch: Cortnee Vine and Hannah Wilkinson
Saturday afternoon will be a battle of the strikers when two of the A-Leagues most decorated forwards go head-to-head on the field. Having both appeared in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Cortnee Vine and Hannah Wilkinson will each be gunning to notch the opening goal for the Grand Final.
Vine has been a crucial player for Ante Juric’s squad, scoring 10 goals this season alone. Known for her lightning quick agility, Vine has scored each of her goals this season inside the box with eight of them being off the right foot. An exact 20% conversion rate and a total of six assists alongside her wealth of finals football knowledge has marked the Matildas star as a key player for spectators to keep their eye on the weekend. The 26 year-old will be up against another international representative who has also been enjoying a positive season.
New Zealand international Hannah Wilkinson will be a tough opponent to challenge. Also with 10 goal under her belt, Wilkinson has been a top player for Melbourne City. Since her debut in 2021, the 31 year-old has appeared in five finals matches for her maiden club. Versatile in the box, Wilkinson has scored three goals off her left foot, two headers with the remaining five from her right. Wilkinson has an 80.3% success rate for passing and 20.41% conversion rate.
Head-To-Head 2023/2024 Season:
| 12-5-5 | MEL CITY-RECORD-SYD FC | 11-6-5 |
| 10-3-5 | H2H | 5-3-10 |
| 5-2-1 | H2H AT AAMI PARK | 1-2-5 |
| 61.6% | POSSESSION PG | 45.7% |
| 1.9 | GOALS SCORED PG | 1.4 |
| 1.2 | GOALS CONCEDED PG | 0.9 |
| 14.7 | SHOTS PG | 16.7 |
| 6.2 | SHOTS ON TARGET PG | 6.6 |
| 9 | CLEAN SHEETS | 10 |
| 3.5 | SAVES PG | 3.0 |
| 428 | PASSES PG | 247 |
| 0.7 | YELLOW CARDS PG | 1.4 |
| 1 | RED CARDS PG | 0 |
Team News:
The Sky Blues will have a full roster this Grand Final match after no injuries were sustained last weekend in the second leg of the Semi Finals. Nat Tobin, Kirsty Fenton and Madeline Caspers will be absent whilst they continue to recover from their injuries, however striker Fiona Worts has returned to full training and is a chance to be included.
Melbourne City are yet to release their lineup for this weekends match-up, but no new injuries have been listed at this point in time and their team should remain unchanged.
Last Time Out:
The grand finalist’s last meeting in February was a top of the table tussle. Cortnee Vine and skipper Princess Ibini were the first to make attempts at goal but were denied by City goal keeper Melissa Barbieri. An impressive save form Jada Whyman following a strike from Taylor Otto kept the match alive. The match hosted by the Victorian squad was an intense 95 minutes of football. The Sky Blues were dominant on the pitch, and missed a crucial penalty but were held goalless by their competitors. The match ended in a nil all draw.
Match Details:
Melbourne City v Sydney FC
Liberty A-League Grand Final
Saturday 4th May 2024
AAMI Park, Melbourne, VIC
Kick Off: 4:15pm AEST
Broadcast Live: Paramount+ & 10Bold
Tickets: Click Here
