Melbourne set for bonanza in week one of A-League finals with City, Victory joining race for Asia
THE RUN HOME: Melbourne is on track to host two A-League finals in the one weekend for the first time. MATT WINDLEY predicts how the remainder of the regular season might unfold — and what that means for City and Victory.
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MELBOURNE is on track to play host to two A-League finals in the one weekend for the first time.
Melbourne Victory’s 2-1 derby win over Melbourne City on Friday night helped consolidate its hold on a top four spot, a grip that tightened further on Saturday when fifth-placed Adelaide lost to Brisbane.
City is third on 33 points, one ahead of Victory, who is three points clear of the chasing pack.
But both teams have inviting runs home, with Victory in particular helped by a draw that sees them play teams below it for the next four weeks.
Home games for City against Western Sydney and Central Coast are must win, while a trip to also-ran Wellington in the final round is another big opportunity.
The third and fourth-place finishers receive home elimination finals in week one of the playoffs, before travelling for the semi-finals in week two.
ACL: VICTORY DETERMINED TO END HORROR RUN
But the other subplot to the final five weeks of the season is the race for Asia, with a third-placed finish likely to secure that team entry into the 2019 Asian Champions League playoffs.
And City is hellbent on making it to the Champions League for the first time.
City has lived in the shadows of Victory since joining the A-League in 2010, finishing above their arch rivals just twice.
The City Football Group has invested millions since buying Melbourne Heart in 2014 and is keen to expand its Asian footprint.
City midfielder Stefan Mauk admitted watching Victory and Sydney FC play in this year’s ACL was tough to swallow.
“The owners didn’t buy the club for us to finish fourth or fifth on the table, they want us to win things,” Mauk said.
“It (Asia) hasn’t been spoken too much to us as players, but it’s something we understand. It’s a massive tournament.
“As a player you want to play as many games as possible. Training is OK, but you want to play and watching Victory and Sydney play in China in front of the big crowds, against Oscar and Hulk, you want to play at the highest level against the best players.”
Lack of international breaks could again come back to hurt Victory with Kosta Barbarouses and possibly James Troisi and Rhys Williams to miss their side’s Round 24 trip to Perth.
While snapping a six-game losing streak against Sydney in Round 27 could also be enough to see Victory finish above City on the table once again.
THE RUN HOME
MELBOURNE CITY
3rd, W 10, D 3, L 9, GD +2 pts 33
R23 v Adelaide (A) L
R24 v Western Sydney (H) W
R25 v Newcastle (A) L
R26 v Central Coast (H) W
R27 v Wellington (A) W
MELBOURNE VICTORY
4th, W 9, D 5, L 8, GD +2 pts 32
R23 v Central Coast (H) W
R24 v Perth (A) L
R25 v Western Sydney (H) W
R26 v Wellington (H) W
R27 v Sydney (A) L
* Matt Windley’s predicted results
PREDICTED LADDER
1 Sydney 67pts
2 Newcastle 57pts
3 Melb City 42pts
4 Melb Victory 41pts
5 Western Sydney 38pts
6 Adelaide 36pts
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7 Perth 31pts
8 Brisbane 28pts
9 Central Coast 20pts
10 Wellington 20pts
PREDICTED FINALS
ELIMINATION FINALS
Melbourne City v Adelaide, AAMI Park
Melbourne Victory v Western Sydney, AAMI Park
SEMI-FINALS
Sydney v lowest-ranked week one winner, Allianz Stadium
Newcastle v highest-ranked week one winner, McDonald Jones Stadium
GRAND FINAL
Winner of semi-final 1 v winner of semj-final 2
TOUGH MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB
City/Heart has only twice finished above Victory
FINISHING POSITIONS
VICTORY // CITY
2010-11 5th // 11th
2011-12 8th // 6th
2012-13 3rd* // 9th
2013-14 4th // 10th
2014-15 1st // 5th
2015-16 6th // 4th
2016-17 2nd // 4th
2017-18 # 4th // 3rd
* Denotes qualified for Asian Champions League
#After 22 of 27 rounds
Originally published as Melbourne set for bonanza in week one of A-League finals with City, Victory joining race for Asia