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The A-League Grand Final is set to dominate Australia's sporting discourse this weekend as Sydney FC lock horns with Melbourne City at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on Saturday. The two Australian giants have been excellent this season and have a point to prove in this match.
Melbourne City finished in pole position in the A-League standings this year and have assembled an excellent squad. The home side eased past Macarthur FC by a 2-0 margin in the semi-finals and will be confident ahead of this match.
Sydney FC, on the other hand, have had their problems this season but have managed to hit their stride in recent months. The reigning A-League champions edged Adelaide United to a 2-1 victory last weekend and will need to be at their best to retain their crown this year.
Melbourne City vs Sydney FC Head-to-Head
Sydney FC have a good record against Melbourne City and have won 14 games out of a total of 23 matches played between the two teams. Melbourne City have managed nine victories against Sydney FC and can trouble their opponents in this fixture.
The previous meeting between the two A-League sides took place in April earlier this year and ended in a 1-1 draw. Both teams wasted chances on the day and will need to be more clinical going into this game.
Melbourne City form guide in the A-League: W-W-D-W-W
Sydney FC form guide in the A-League: W-W-W-W-W
Also Read: Euro 2020: Ranking the top 5 favorites to win the tournament
Melbourne City vs Sydney FC Team News
Melbourne City
Jamie Maclaren, Connor Metcalfe, and Curtis Good will likely remain in quarantine after their stints with the Socceroos and are unavailable for this game. Andrew Nabbout and Craig Noone missed the semi-final against Macarthur FC and remain doubts ahead of this game.
Injured: None
Doubtful: Andrew Nabbout, Craig Noone
Unavailable: Jamie Maclaren, Connor Metcalfe, Curtis Good
Sydney FC
Michael Zullo, Trent Buhagiar, Chris Zuvela, Jordi Swibel, and Calum Nieuwenhof did not play a part for Sydney FC last week and might not be able to feature against Melbourne City. Andrew Redmayne, Rhyan Grant, and Ryan McGowan have featured for the Australian national team and will also be unavailable this weekend.
Injured: None
Doubtful: Michael Zullo, Trent Buhagiar, Chris Zuvela, Jordi Swibel, Calum Nieuwenhof
Unavailable: Andrew Redmayne, Rhyan Grant, Ryan McGowan
Melbourne City vs Sydney FC Predicted XI
Melbourne City Predicted XI (4-3-3): Tom Glover; Scott Jamieson, Rostyn Griffiths, Nuno Reis, Scott Galloway; Aiden O'Neill, Florin Berenguer, Adrian Luna; Nathaniel Atkinson, Marco Tilio, Stefan Colakovski
Sydney FC Predicted XI (4-4-2): Tom Heward-Belle; Joel King, Ben Warland, Alex Wilkinson, Paulo Retre; Anthony Caceres, Luke Brattan, Kosta Barbarouses, Alexander Baumjohann; Bobo, Adam Le Fondre
Melbourne City vs Sydney FC Prediction
Sydney FC might not have enjoyed the best of starts to their year but recent weeks have seen the reigning champions record six consecutive victories in the A-League. Adam Le Fondre's return has galvanised the side and the striker will play a key role in Sydney FC's title defence.
Melbourne City endured a worrying slump towards the end of their regular season but a strong performance against Macarthur FC holds them in good stead going into this game. Sydney FC are in excellent form at the moment, however, and hold a slight edge going into this game.
Prediction: Melbourne City 1-2 Sydney FC
