Preview: Melbourne Knights v Green Gully
Melbourne Knights v Green Gully
Tuesday 30 August 2016
Knights Stadium, Sunshine (VIC)
Kick-off: 8.00pm local (8:00pm AEST)
Referee: Jarred Gillett
Assistant Referee 1: George Lakrindis
Assistant Referee 2: Wilson Brown
Fourth Official: Jonathan Barreiro
Tickets: Click here for ticketing details
Online Broadcast: Streamed online at www.foxsports.com.au/football/ffa-cup/ffacupondemand and Apple TV via FOX SPORTS Now
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tags #KNIvGRG #FFACup
Melbourne Knights squad: 1.Michael O’Farrell (gk), 2.Luke Jurcic, 3.Ivan Grgic, 5.Milan Batur, 6.Damien Miskulin, 7.Chris Talajic, 8.James McGarry, 9.Jacob Colosimo, 10.Marijan Cvitkovic, 11.Nikola Jurkovic, 12.Anthony Dezic, 13.Anthony Kataforis, 14.Caleb Mikulic, 16.Jason Hicks, 17.Robert Zadworny, 18.Josh Brekalo, 19.Nicholas Glavan, 20.Fraser Chalmers (gk), 21.Stipo Andrijasevic, 22.Daniel Sousa, 23.Timmy Purcell, 24.Marcelo De La Plaza, 30.Harry Cakarun (gk)
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
They were a national sensation a few weeks ago after knocking out A-League opposition thanks to a freakishly brilliant winning goal that went viral faster than you can “Cup-set”.
Now, Green Gully take the short trip over to Sunshine North in the hope of another win and, potentially, another A-League side in the last eight.
In their way, classy Victorian rivals and former NSL powerhouse Melbourne Knights – this will be a Victorian derby to savour.
Gully’s season came to an end on the weekend, Oakleigh knocking them out of the PS4 NPL Victoria Elimination Final. The Knights meanwhile finished their league season last week, finishing in the lower half of the table in ninth.
So, all the focus will be on booking a famous quarter-final berth for either of these sides.
The Knights defeated Gully 2-0 the last time these two met, with a Simon Colosimo penalty and the talented Stipe Andrijasevic on the scoresheet (the teams also drew 1-1 on the opening round of the season).
But if the visitors to Knights Park want a winning omen, keeper Rani Dowisha is set to resume his spot in between the sticks after a red card denied him a part in the breath-taking defeat of Central Coast Mariners earlier this month.
The shot-stopper was the hero of South Springvale’s fairytale Cup run of 2014 and remains on the radar of A-League clubs.
And then there’s viral sensation, striker Liam Boland.
The big man with the infectious smile is loving life right now following his extraordinary winner over the Mariners.
In the dugout, Knights coach Andrew Marth is hugely underrated but Papas knows him well – the pair have been locking horns for a number of years in Victoria.
Jay Davis in midfield could again be the man who can make things happen for Gully – his Cup display in the last round was eye-catching to say the least.
Knights Stadium in North Sunshine will be a cauldron of noise on Tuesday night as one of the most intriguing local derbies in MD 2 plays out.
