It’s all come down to this. Two teams, one winner, both very deserving.
There must be quite a soft spot in the football world for the Western Sydney Wanderers. Their story is a rare one in the sport. They have made it into their second grand final after entering the A-League scene just last year.
They’ve earned their second chance and could be walking off the pitch on Sunday with the silverware.
Already champions, their opponents Brisbane Roar might be the betting favourites thanks to their impressive form all season, but it doesn’t mean much in the Grand Final.
Being equally matched is what a grand final is all about and no bets are safe.
This week has been about getting as many players back to fitness to be at the coaches’ disposal, and one of the few risky plays will be Roar’s Dimitri
Petratos.
Petratos picked up a knock against Melbourne Victory in the semi-final, and while he seems to be back to health, coach Mike Mulvey might not risk him with Henrique De Andrade Silva and Jean Carlos Solorzano to call on in the midfield.
Petratos missed training at Ballymore on Wednesday morning to nurse his swollen ankle but returned on Friday. Mulvey will wait till gameday to make sure the risk is minimised.
Western Sydney Wanderers have made just the one change, with Mark Bridge omitted due to an ankle injury and Jason Trifiro coming into the squad.
Coach Tony Popovic has given Bridge a 50-50 chance of being included, but his mind will already be on forming an impenetrable squad without him.
The past track records between the two teams must give Popovic some confidence.
The Roar have only beaten the Wanderers once in the Sydney club’s two-year history, and their last match together in April finished in a 1-1 draw.
They hold four wins and two draws against the Roar. This year’s season has the Wanderer’s Shannon Cole confident they’ve done enough to get the win they couldn’t get against Central Coast Mariners. The 29-year-old played in the Wanderers’ last Grand Final and will be a central player in this final.
“Last year there was a crazy amount of hype about our first season and the fantastic run and all that, so there was all sorts of outside influence,” Cole said to www.footballaustralia.com.au
“This year the teams are very much focused on ourselves and what we want to do.”
Already the hype has exceeded the FFA’s expectations, with Suncorp Stadium selling out early in the week.
More than 52,000 fans are expected through the turnstiles in Brisbane, many of whom will be flying up to show the red and black support.
Fans outside of Brisbane will also have unprecedented access to the final online and free-to-air.
This will the first A-League Grand Final to be broadcast on Australian free-to-air TV, when SBS show the game on an hour delay.
It will also be the first A-League Grand Final to be broadcast live into major European, North American and Asian markets.
It will be broadcast in 57 countries, including Italy, the UK, Ireland, USA, China, Singapore, Mexico and South Africa.
The 2014 Grand Final will be available for the first time on live streaming via www.aleague.livesport.tv
Brisbane Roar v Western Sydney Wanderers
Sunday 4 May 2014
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Kick-off 4.00 pm (AEST)
Gates open 2.00 pm (AEST)
