The Cup is back and this time there’s a Melbourne Derby and a Capital clash as the final two spots in the semis go up for grabs.
MATCH DETAILS
Bentleigh Greens v Melbourne Victory
Tuesday 27 September 2016
Kingston Heath Soccer Complex, Cheltenham
Kick-off: 7:30pm local (7:30pm AEST)
Referee: Alan Milliner
Assistant Referee 1: Luke Brennan
Assistant Referee 2: Stephen Toth
Fourth Official: Jonathan Barreiro
Tickets: Click here for ticketing details
TV Broadcast: 7.00pm (AEST) Live and exclusive on FOX SPORTS 4 (Channel 505)
Radio Broadcast: 3XY Radio 1422AM or online at greekmediagroup.com
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tags #BGRvMVC #FFACup
Bentleigh Greens squad: 1.Ryan Scott (gk), 2.Nick Apostolopulos, 5.Jack Webster,6.Liam McCormick, 8.Wayne Wallace, 10.Tyson Holmes, 11.Dion Kirk, 12.Joshua Brindell-South, 14.Kamal Ibrahim, 15.Ross Archibald, 16.Troy Ruthven, 17.John Maclean, 18.Matthew Thurtell, 19.Kieran Dover, 20.Marinos Panayi, 21.Zackery Demetri (gk), 22.Ryan Paczkowski, 23.Naim Delibajric, 24.Luke Pilkington
Melbourne Victory squad: 2.Jason Geria, 3.Scott Galloway, 4.Nicholas Ansell,5.Daniel Georgievski, 6.Leigh Broxham, 7.Marco Rojas, 8.Besart Berisha, 10.James Troisi, 11.Mitch Austin, 13.Oliver Bozanic, 14.Fahid Ben Khalfallah, 15.Alan Baro,16.Rashid Mahazi, 17.James Donachie, 19.George Howard, 20.Lawrence Thomas (gk), 21.Carl Valeri, 22.Stefan Nigro, 23.Jai Ingham, 25.Sebastian Pasquali,27.Alastair Bray (gk), 30.Lucas Spinella (gk)
Bluffer’s Guide
Victoria takes centre stage as PS4 NPL Victorian heavyweights Bentleigh Greens aim to slay the defending Westfield FFA Cup champions.
Could we see an upset of epic proportions Kingston Heath as the part-timers face off with the Hyundai A-League giants in this Melbourne Derby.
On paper, Victory should have little trouble reaching the semi-finals again. They are unbeaten in pre-season, have a star-studded squad and coach Kevin Muscat will ensure they won’t take this easy with the A-League season just around the corner.
If Bentleigh somehow find a way past Victory, it would surely rate as the biggest upset in the competition’s history.
But the Greens have history in the Cup – semi-finalists in 2014 – and as we know, anything can happen in sudden-death football.
John Anastasiadis’ Bentleigh have shown great resilience on their charge to the quarters, with two hard-fought wins on the road.
It took penalties to see off MetroStars in the last 32, while they went to extra-time in the wind and rain in Devonport before accounting for the Strikers 1-0.
They have shown no shortage of character, composure and quality to progress.
With striker Chris Lucas missing through injury, it will be up to the likes of Matt Thurtell, former Melbourne Heart striker Kamal Ibrahim, Troy Ruthven and Tyson Holmes to pick up the attacking slack.
Jack Webster, Josh Brindell-South and Luke Pilkington bring experience and talent to the Greens line-up, too.
Greens’ 3-1 loss to Edgeworth Eagles in the PS4 NPL national finals last week was a blow, but it has allowed them to focus solely on this shot at glory.
For Victory, they’ve come through their pre-season relatively smoothly, winning matches, playing some good football and integrating the new faces into the team seamlessly.
Marco Rojas and James Troisi have added pace and directness to their attack, combining superbly with Fahid Ben Khalfallah, Oliver Bozanic and Co.
And you can’t forget Besart Berisha. The Albanian has scored in the first two rounds to be the competition’s all-time leading scorer and he’ll be the man Bentleigh will want to keep quiet on Tuesday night.
Victory will start as red-hot favourites but you can never rule Bentleigh out. Intriguing viewing it promises to be.
MATCH DETAILS
Canberra Olympic v Green Gully
Tuesday 27 September 2016
Deakin Stadium, Deakin
Kick-off: 7:30pm local (7:30pm AEST)
Referee: Luke Withell
Assistant Referee 1: Owen Goldrick
Assistant Referee 2: Greg Taylor
Fourth Official: Adam Powers
Tickets: Click here for ticketing details
Online Broadcast: Streamed online at www.foxsports.com.au/football/ffa-cup/ffacupondemand, on the FOX SPORTS mobile app for iPhone & Android, and on Apple TV & Telstra TV via the FOX SPORTS NOW app
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tags #COLvGRG #FFACup
Canberra Olympic squad: 1.Angelo Konstantinou (gk), 2.Tim Bobolas, 3.Josh Calabria,4.Daniel Colbertaldo, 5.Phil Yarnold, 6.Jeremy Habtemarium, 7.Patrick Ross-Magee, 8.Bernard Rene, 9.Philippe Bernabo-Madrid, 10.Robbie Cattanach, 11.Michael Reeve, 12.Adam Rogic,13.Ben Basser-Silk, 14.Callum Smith, 15.Tom McLachlan, 16.Adam Neou, 17.Nicholas Bobolas,18.Jordan Tsekenis, 19.Joel Valtonen, 20.Jack Pettit (gk), 21.George Kazolis (gk), 23.Oliver Wiederkher, 24.Daniel Giovinazzo, 99.Victor Yanes
Green Gully squad: 1.Sebastien Mattei (gk), 2.Matthew Reid, 3.Yohai Iwasaki, 4.Daniel Jones, 5.Rodrigo Vargas, 6.Callum Richardson, 7.Tomas Murphy, 8.George Lambadaridis, 9.Anthony Ragusa, 11.Evan Christodoulou, 12.Nicholas Krousoratis, 14.Aaron Ward, 15.Jay Davies, 16.Kliment Taseski, 18.Oner Kucuk, 19.Luke Walker, 21.Charlie McCormick, 23.Mehmet Balci (gk), 38.Liam Boland, Rani Dowisha (gk)
Bluffer’s Guide
This is the biggest night of their respective histories. Which PS4 NPL club will write another fabulous chapter in their Cup fairytale?
Canberra Olympic have shocked plenty to reach the last eight, the first time a Capital Football club has reached this stage of the competition. With the club celebrating their 60th anniversary in 2016, Frank Cachia’s side are making it one to remember with their fearless run through the competition.
Playing in the chilly conditions in the nation’s capital has suited them so far and they’ll hope Deakin Reserve will be their ace up the sleeve as they seek an unlikely spot in the last four.
While a rock-solid defence has been Olympic’s bedrock to their Cup run, the likes of Jordan Tsekenis, Adam Rogic (Socceroo and Celtic star Tom’s brother), Robbie Cattanach and Philippe Bernabo-Madrid mean they also have goals in them.
Just last week Olympic lost 3-2 to the Brisbane Strikers in the PS4 NPL national finals after conceding very late. That disappointment aside, they are match fit, battle-hardened and always confident when playing at home.
In saying all that, Gully are likely to start slight favourites in this one.
Arthur Papas’ outfit have been the giant-slayers of the Cup this season and will be hugely difficult to beat. Who will ever forget Liam Boland’s long-range stunner to sink Central Coast Mariners in the round of 32?
They also knocked off PS4 NPL Victoria rivals Melbourne Knights in the last 16 – with Boland grabbing a double.
In goalkeeper Rani Dowisha, defender Roddy Vargas, Nick Krousoratis, George Lambadaridis and Boland they have talent and experience to call on when the big moment is needed.
And you can’t forget the impact of Cup specialist Papas, who has proved himself a master tactician in this competition.
Who'll hold their nerve and produce the goods on what is undoubtedly the biggest 90 minutes of these clubs’ histories. This should be a ripper.
