4.00pm (AEST), Sunday, May 1 at Adelaide Oval
The top two teams of the A-League regular season will square off in the grand final, with hosts Adelaide United chasing their third title and Western Sydney Wanderers searching for their second crown.
Likely Teams
Adelaide: Galekovic, Marrone, McGowan, La Rocca, Goodwin, Isaias, Mauk, Carrusca, Kamau, Cirio, Djite
Wanderers: Redmayne, Neville, Alberto, Topor-Stanley, Jamieson, Andreu, Dimas, Castelen, Nichols, Santalab
History
The clubs have met on 12 occasions, with the ledger split at four wins apiece, with four draws.
Form
Coming into the finals with 2-0 wins over Sydney FC and Melbourne City to claim the Premiers Plate, Adelaide United crushed Melbourne City 4-1 in last Friday’s semi-final at Coopers Stadium.
After taking care of Central Coast (4-1) and Wellington (2-0) in their last two regular-season matches to clinch second spot and a week off, the Wanderers staged an extraordinary comeback win over the Roar at Parramatta in the semi-final. The Wanderers trailed 3-0, but fought back to force the match into extra-time, where they prevailed 5-4 in a classic.
Key Match-up
Bruce Djite was the star of United’s big semi-final win with a brace of goals, while Dutchman Romeo Castelen was the hat-trick hero of the Wanderers’ incredible fight-back against the Roar.
Stats That Matter
Adelaide have won 15, drew four and lost one of their last 20 games. The Wanderers are on a three-match winning streak, and have lost only three of their last 13 games.The Wanderers have won just one of their six games in Adelaide. The clubs’ three matches in the 2015/16 regular season finished in draws. Adelaide have scored 21 goals to five in their last nine games.
Verdict
Adelaide have been installed as tentatively-priced favourites for the grand final, but with just one loss in their last 20 A-League games, the minor premiers are specials to lift the trophy. They’ve conceded just three goals in their last six games – while scoring 13 – and have savaged teams at home. The Wanderers are a quality outfit, however, and a worthy challenger; last week’s extra-time thriller may have taken a little bit extra out of their legs, but temperament-wise it was an ideal lead-in for a match of this magnitude. After a closely-fought first hour, expect United to finish over the top of Wanderers and clinch the title in regulation time.
Recommended Bets
Adelaide to win
Total Game Score Over 2.5
Draw/Adelaide United
Correct Score – Adelaide 3-1
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