Sydney FC are once more in the Liberty A-League Finals Series, and their first obstacle in the quest for the double comes as Melbourne City travel to Netstrata Jubilee Stadium.
Sydney FC finished the Liberty A-League 2021-2022 regular season sitting pretty at the top, recording just one loss alongside eleven wins and two draws throughout the fourteen-round campaign, claiming the Premiers Plate for a second consecutive season.
Their opponents for the evening were the side to deliver that singular defeat – Melbourne City picking up a 2-1 win over the Sky Blues just weeks ago on February 20, and coach Ante Juric is consequently not taking the fixture lightly.
“We always do video analysis on each side we play. We know we didn’t perform to our best last time we faced them but we know they won’t make it easy for us.”
Sydney FC haven’t ever enjoyed Finals Series success when drawn against Melbourne City, meeting three times in the past and being victorious on no occasion.
Yet with a benchmark-setting, star-studded roster including fan favourites Remy Siemsen and Cortnee Vine, youngsters like Rachel Lowe and Charlie Rule, and internationals such as María José Rojas and Paige Satchell, this Sydney FC side is unlike any seen before.
The latter player spoke too on her impressive run of form through these past few games.
“I found out the day before the game that Cortnee wouldn’t be traveling with us down to Adelaide so I knew I would probably be playing. I was excited for the opportunity, especially with what was at stake for the team and to get the win made it sweet. I was so happy.”
When questioned about semi final selection, she said;
“It’s good that we have so much depth here in this team. I think it’s been helping a lot, especially in training. It would be great to start but I’m here to play my part for this team, whether it will be starting or coming on as an impact player.”
After securing the Premiers Plate in dramatic final day fashion reminiscent of famed down-to-the-wire English Premier League campaigns, the girls go into the Finals Series with spirits high knowing that a win tonight places them between 90 and 120 minutes away from the 2022 Championship and completing the double.
Sydney FC vs Melbourne City in the Liberty A-League Finals Series kicks off at 7:05pm AEDT at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, and tickets are still available here.
