Saturday and Sunday feature all A-League encounters in the Australia Cup Quarter Finals as the teams continue to build for the upcoming A-League Men’s campaign.
Brisbane Roar FC v Western Sydney Wanderers FC
Time: 5:30 pm AEST
Date: Saturday 16 September 2023
Venue: Perry Park
Brisbane Roar do battle with Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday at Perry Park, eager to pull off a repeat of last year’s Cup clash.
Brisbane downed the Wanderers in a 2022 Cup play-off, getting up 3-1 in a second-half comeback before going on to make the semi-finals.
The Roar have performed well in this season’s Cup, defeating Newcastle Jets 3-2 and then thrashing Sydney United 58 5-0 in the Round of 16.
Louis Zabala is in fine form for the side, proving a constant threat down the left from fullback for the side.
Western Sydney have been in the scoring in the competition, scoring 11 goals in two matches.
After blowing Floreat Athena away 6-1, Mark Rudan’s men turned on the style against Adelaide United with a 5-1 victory.
New signing Marcus Antonsson enjoyed an outstanding game in the Round of 16, notching two goals in an all-round effective outing for the Swedish forward.
Milos Ninkovic also scored his first goal in Western Sydney colours, while Socceroo Brandon Borello picked up a brace as well.
These teams have not been shy of goals in the Australia Cup so far, making it a must-watch on Saturday.
Sydney FC v Western United FC
Time: 3:00 pm
Date: Sunday 17 September 2023
Venue: Leichhardt Oval
Sydney FC face Western United at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday with the last semi-final spot up for grabs.
So far, the Sky Blues have had two tight encounters in the Cup, prevailing on penalties against Central Coast Mariners before downing NPL NSW’s APIA Leichhardt 2-0 in the quarters.
Sydney striker Patrick Wood has been a strong performer for Steve Corica’s team, with goals in back-to-back games this tournament.
Honours were even across the 2022/23 A-League Men’s campaign with a win each way and a thrilling 3-3 draw.
United have progressed through to this stage with two victories over second-tier opposition.
A first-half blitz saw them past NPL Northern NSW outfit Edgeworth Eagles 4-0 and followed up with a late, tight 2-0 result against NPL Queensland premiers Gold Coast Knights.
Youngster Matthew Grimaldi notched the crucial second goal for Western against the Knights after signing for the club only weeks ago.
Coach John Aloisi will be keen for his team to carry on their solid defensive form in this competition against their toughest opponent of the Cup so far.
These teams were separated by six points in last season’s ALM, lending to another close clash on Sunday.
