Melbourne City and Sydney FC will clash in the grand finals of the A-League 2021 season on Sunday, June 27, at AAMI Park in Melbourne. It will be a rematch of the 2020 finals when Sydney edged out a 1-0 win with an overtime goal to secure the record-fifth league title.
Melbourne City vs Sydney FC
When: Sunday, June 27 – 17:055 AEST
Where: AAMI Park in Melbourne, Australia
Weather: Partly cloudy, 12°C
Referee: Chris Beath (AUS)
Same as the last year, the 2021 A-League Grand Final will see Melbourne City clash with Sydney FC. This time, the game will be played in Melbourne rather than Sydney as a reward for Melbourne City for winning the regular season.
There will be fans in the stands of AAMI Park to support the home team, but will it actually help Melbourne City get their first title in the franchise history?
Melbourne City Fans Worried About Not-So-Impressive Form of Their Team
Melbourne City won the regular season of A-League, but only with two points more than Sydney FC. They could have ended the season with a much better tally had Melbourne City won more than one game in their last five.
Nevertheless, that was enough to take Melbourne City to the semi-final of the A-League playoffs. That’s where they met with the sixth-placed Macarthur FC.
Despite coming into that game after a defeat to one of A-League’s worst teams, Newcastle Jets, City managed to get through to the Grand Final with 2-0 victory, thanks to two early pre-10-minute goals.
Marco Tilio was the man of the match, with one assist and one goal. The Golden Boot winner Jamie Maclaren missed that game due to his national team duties but is back now in the squad now and is likely to feature in the starting XI on Sunday.
Most Successful Australian Team Looking for Their 6th Title
Sydney FC hold five Australian A-League titles, three of which they won within the last four years. As the most successful Australian team, Sydney are also the reigning champs and have reached the A-League postseason in each season since 2019.
Last year, Melbourne City came close to taking it away from them, but Sydney FC managed to labour a victory in the extra time of the 2020 A-League Grand Final.
After 0-0 in the regular 90 minutes, the game went to the extra time. About 10 minutes after the play resumed, Sydney’s right-back Rhyan Grant scored the winner.
The star of the 2020 A-League finals is likely to feature again, as well as most of Sydney FC players who helped their team win the title last year. Milos Ninkovic will be in the centre of the pitch to dictate the tempo, together with ex-Melbourne City midfielder Anthony Caceres.
This time, however, Sydney FC are going to be even more dangerous. That’s largely because this year, they have a lethal Brazilian striker Bobo is in the squad. He has re-signed for Sydney FC at the start of the season, which proved to be a fantastic decision for the club – Bobo turned out to be their top scorer in the regular season with 11 goals to his name.
Melbourne City vs Sydney FC Betting Picks
The fact is that Sydney FC have a more experienced squad than Melbourne City, which could be a crucial decisive factor on Sunday. These guys know how to perform in high-stakes games and win trophies.
Still, it’s not going to be an easy game as there is a chance it could go into extra time, as it did last year. That’s why we’re going to be slightly more cautious with our prediction and side with Sydney FC with a DNB.
Pick: Sydney FC +0.00 Asian Handicap (same as Draw no Bet) – 2.31 at Sportmarket
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