Sydney FC begin their home run in with a tough task against Adelaide United on Saturday afternoon. The Sky Blues are sitting a couple of points off the summit of the Liberty A-League and a win on Saturday could put them in good stead to finish at the top come Sunday afternoon next week.
Currently ahead of Sydney having played a game more is Western United who have mathematically secured finals football in their first season in the competition. With the Green and Black also playing Canberra United at the same time as Sydney FC, the table will be constantly changing as the events unfold.
As for Ante Juric and his girls, their focus will be on claiming all three points against an opponent that they failed to beat in the opening round of the Liberty A-League season. A late Emilia Murray header looped over the top of Jada Whyman in the FC net and the Sky Blues were left to rue their missed chances having had more than one opportunity to open the scoring.
Coming into this one, Sydney FC have staggered in recent weeks as they dropped points at the death against Melbourne City after dominating the Victorians for the 90 minutes but one switch off during a corner proved pivotal as the three points escaped them. This time around, they will be looking to maintain concentration for the entirety of the contest with the three points vital.
Ante Juric will be happy to see that the goals are being shared around the team and coming from a multitude of sources. Cortnee Vine got on the scoresheet last weekend assisted by Sarah Hunter, and before that Rachel Lowe nabbed a brace, both assisted by Vine. The in-form Matilda actually leads the league with six assists and with four goals to her name too, she really is having a brilliant season.
This weekend against Adelaide United starts a tough run of three games in seven days as the Sky Blues close out the season with all games at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium.
This weekend’s opponents Adelaide United are having a topsy turvy season under Adrian Stenta as they now find themselves outside of finals, mathematically eliminated with a 2-2 draw against Newcastle Jets last weekend. The Reds played at Coopers Stadium for the first time in over a year and found the early going tough, pegged back 2-0 at half time against Newcastle Jets. A second half fight back earnt them a point but it wasn’t to be for their finals hopes which went up in smoke as the afternoon sun set.
United have struggled for goals this season, going through the opening 12 rounds of the season, failing to score more than one goal in a game. The return of their star forward Fiona Worts hasn’t resulted in goals up front as they have hoped and she sits on only two goals, with the majority of them coming from the boot of Chelsie Dawber.
United have only won one of their last eleven matches, drawing three and losing the remaining seven. Of concern to Sydney FC is that they have begun to turn a corner since their 1-0 loss to Brisbane Roar at home, picking up five points from a possible twelve.
They only have two matches left this season which include this weekend against Sydney FC and then their campaign will conclude on Tuesday night when they host Wellington Phoenix. Overall for the Reds this season hasn’t hit the heights of last when they finished 3rd but they will be using this opportunity to build for next season and possibly cause an upset on the finals places.
The next 90 minutes are vital to the Sydney FC season and the action isn’t to be missed at Kogarah.
Match Details
Sydney FC v Adelaide United
Liberty A-League Round 19
Saturday 25th March 2023
Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Kogarah, NSW
Kick Off: 3pm AEDT
Gates Open: 2pm AEDT
Broadcast Live: Paramout+, 10Play & DubZone
Tickets: Click Here
