Two teams separated by just a single point in the fight for finals places in the middle of the Australian A-League table will square off in an important contest on Sunday, as Sydney FC host Perth Glory.
With three games of the regular season left to play, the home side currently sit sixth in the last finals place after a dip in their form, while the visitors could climb into the top six with a victory on Sunday.
Match preview
After a 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory in early March left them on 27 points from 19 A-League outings, Sydney FC looked set to see out a relatively comfortable top-six finish in the final months of the season and book a place in the Finals series.
That has not been the case, though, and Steve Corica's side now find their position under major threat in the midst of a tough run of form, with the Sky Blues failing to add another notch to their wins column in the last four attempts.
The latest triumph was firstly followed by consecutive defeats, as Sydney lost 1-0 away at Wellington Phoenix before suffering a 4-0 thrashing at home to rivals Western Sydney Wanderers, with Amor Layouni netting a brace alongside goals from Kusini Yengi and Calem Nieuwenhof in the derby.
Corica's men were then, at least, able to halt the losing run with an eventful 3-3 draw in a dramatic contest with Western United, as they trailed 3-1 in the second half, only to force a share of the spoils through a Diego Caballo goal and Robert Mak's 89th-minute equaliser.
Now on the back of another share of the spoils, a commendable 1-1 draw away at second-placed Adelaide United thanks to Adam Le Fondre's late leveller, Sydney FC do sit just a point ahead of Sunday's opponents with three games to go, and they will hope to strengthen their claim for a top-six finish with what would be a crucial return to winning ways.
Their visitors, on the other hand, will look to continue their climb up the division and score a victory which would see them leapfrog the hosts and move into the Finals Series places.
After putting 17 points on the board in their opening 13 league matches, Perth Glory saw their top-six hopes take a major hit between late January and early March, as they had to endure a six-match winless run in which they earned just three points.
That tough spell culminated in 2-1 away defeats to Brisbane Roar and Western United, but Ruben Zadkovich's side have since bounced back in impressive fashion, firstly beating Western Sydney Wanderers 1-0 thanks to Aaron McEneff's 96th-minute winner, before again benefitting from a goal deep into injury time as Ryan Williams drew the scores level at 2-2 in their trip to Newcastle Jets.
The Glory now head into the weekend having stretched an unbeaten to four league games, as they followed up the draw against the Jets with a 2-1 beating of Macarthur, thanks to second-half goals from Adam Taggart and Mark Beevers, before most recently having to settle for a goalless draw away at basement side Melbourne Victory last Sunday.
While they may be slightly disappointed with a draw that denied them a rise into the top six, Zadkovich's side do come into Sunday's trip knowing that a win could put them inside the finals spots with two games to go of the regular season, and they will be desperate to continue their improvement with a result to do so in Sydney.
Team News
Sydney FC could call on striker Adam Le Fondre to lead the line from the outset on Sunday, after he levelled the Adelaide United game off the bench with his seventh A-League goal of the season.
To accommodate the 36-year-old, Robert Mak, who has also notched up seven league goals this term, could move out onto the left-hand side, while Joe Lolley is another danger man on the right flank, having hit the net five times and contributed three assists in 22 appearances since arriving from Nottingham Forest in August.
At the other end of the pitch, Jack Rodwell has recently slotted into a new role at centre-back in the absence of James Donachie through injury, and he should again join Alex Wilkinson in the middle of a back four on Sunday.
Perth Glory will come into Sunday's match without key defender Mark Beevers, who will serve a suspension after he was sent off for a second yellow card in the dying minutes of their draw with Melbourne Victory, while fellow centre-back Jacob Muir was also forced off with an injury concern in the first half of that match.
If he is also unable to feature from the outset, Joseph Forde and Luke Bodnar will likely come in to join Jordan Elsey in a back three, while Mustafa Amini and Darryl Lachman should again partner up in the engine room.
Luke Ivanovic could see his place up front under threat, with Adam Taggart expected to come back in from the outset and spearhead the attack after he was reduced to a substitute appearance last time out.
Sydney FC possible starting lineup:
Redmayne; Grant, Rodwell, Wilkinson, Caballo; Brattan, Retre; Lolley, Burgess, Mak; Le Fondre
Perth Glory possible starting lineup:
Cook; Elsey, Forde, Bodnar; Ostler, Lachman, Amini, Clisby; Williams, Taggart, Duncan
We say: Sydney FC 1-1 Perth Glory
While the hosts arguably boast more quality in their squad, Perth Glory travel with some momentum, while Sydney FC are lacking confidence following a tough run, and although we do not anticipate Zadkovich's side taking all three points away from home, we do see them having enough to take a share of the points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Sam Varley
