We're down to four! A-League finals preview

Adelaide United vs Gold Coast United (Hindmarsh Stadium, Sunday 5:30pm AEDT)

Form: Adelaide grinded out a 1-0 win over the Wellington Phoenix but for long periods of the match were outplayed by the Kiwis who just couldn’t find a way past the resolute defence. The back four were rock solid yet again and the midfield pairing of Aaron Hughes and Francisco Usucar shut down most Phoenix’s attacks in the final third. The concern will be with their attacking play with Marcos Flores only showing glimpses of his talent and Sergio Van Dijk left to toil upfront by himself for the 90 minutes. 

Even though Gold Coast were worthy winners last week against Victory it probably had more to do with the oppressive heat and familiarity with the awful Skilled Stadium pitch than it did with their exceptional play. Man of the match defender Dino Djulbic put in a heroic shift to get Gold Coast over the line last week and their defensive unit is becoming a difficult one to penetrate. Upfront Shane Smeltz and Bruce Djite were less than impressive last week and will need to lift their game if Gold Coast are any chance here. 

Key changes: Despite his public falling out with coach Reni Coolen, Paul Reid earns a surprise recall to the Adelaide bench. Bas Van den Brink returns to further sure-up Gold Coast’s defensive stocks.

Rub-Down predicts: Draw 0-0 (Adelaide in extra time). Don’t expect a 6-goal thriller here. This will be dour stuff with both midfields operating with a defence first attitude. An early goal would be great for the neutrals but I’m not counting on it. As the legs tire, the likes of Matthew Leckie and Travis Dodd should come to the fore and get over the line.

Brisbane Roar v Central Coast Mariners (2nd Leg, Suncorp Stadium, Saturday 8.00pm AEDT – Brisbane leads 2-0):

Form: Brisbane were fortunate last week against a Central Coast in an open and entertaining affair that produced 41 shots on goal and saw Central Coast hit the woodwork three times. The teams shared possession equally and while the home side created enough chances to win the game, they could not produce when it mattered most. 

Kostas Barbarouses continued his purple patch in front of goal to score the opener while Matt Mckay scored his second goal in as many matches to seal the win. The Roar still look shaky defensively since the departure of Luke De Vere but keeper and local Melbourne legend Michael Theoklitos is in career-best form. 

Graham Arnold can be happy with his team’s performance despite the loss but will need better finishing from frontman Adam Kwasnik after his wasteful performances last week coupled with the fact that lynchpin Matt Simon will also be missing. Patricio Perez was outstanding last week and look forward for the Argentine to shine again on the wide expanses of Suncorp.

Key changes: Costa Rican import and top scorer Jean Carlos Solazano will likely be promoted form the bench at the expense of Henrique. Simon will be a big loss for the Mariners with no ready replacement.

Rub-Down predicts: Brisbane 1-0.  Brisbane virtually assured of a grand final spot after their first leg victory, it would be obvious to expect Graham Arnold to throw the kitchen sink at the Roar to stave off defeat. However, I expect Arnold won’t deviate from his game plan and may instead seek to keep his team in rhythm for a preliminary final showdown next week. Postecoglou on the other hand, may start resting his stars (Broich, McKay) if this one is locked up an hour in. Suncorp can start making Grand Final plans.