Preview: Westfield FFA Cup - MetroStars v Bentleigh Greens
MetroStars v Bentleigh Greens
Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32
When: Tuesday, August 2nd. Kick-off 8pm
Where: Elite Systems Football Centre, Cowan Street, ANGLE PARK
Teams:
MetroStars: 1.Isaac Carmody, 3. Andrew Dyer, 4. Justin Davis, 5.Tim Henderson, 6. Anthony Solagna, 7. Michael D’Aloisio, 8. Rocky Callisto, 10. Liam Wooding, 11. Steven Savino, 12. Terry Theodorou, 13. Bailey Truscott, 14. Stefan Simic, 15. Yuki Nakaki, 16. Alex Jakob, 18. Fabian Barbiero, 19. Joseph Polisena, 21. Adam Van Dommele, 22. Matthew Crooks, 23. Christian Esposito, 24. Travis Dodd, 25.Callum Piantadosi
Bentleigh Greens: 1. Ryan Scott, 2.Nick Apostolopulos, 5. Jack Webster, 6. Liam McCormick, 8. Wayne Wallace, 9. Chris Lucas, 10. Tyson Holmes, 11. Dion Kirk, 12. Josh Brindell-South, 14. Kamal Ibrahim, 15. Ross Archibald, 16. Troy Ruthven, 18. Matthew Thurtell, 19. Kieran Dover, 20. Marinos Panayi, 21. Daniel Neesham, 22. Ryan Paczkowski, 23. Naim Delibajric, 24. Luke Pilkington
Form:
MetroStars: L W W
Round 18: South Adelaide 2-1 MetroStars, O’Sullivan Beach Sports Complex
Round 19: Adelaide Olympic 0-4 MetroStars, Elite Systems Football Centre
Round 20: MetroStars 2-1 Croydon, TK Shutter Reserve
Bentleigh Greens: W W W
Round 21: Melbourne Knights 0-4 Bentleigh Greens, Knights Stadium
Round 22: Bentleigh Greens 2-0 Pascoe Vale, Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
Round 23: Bentleigh Greens 3-0 Green Gully, Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
Preview:
MetroStars and Bentleigh Greens are out to emulate results of past seasons in this Round of 32 Westfield FFA Cup clash at Elite Systems Football Centre on Tuesday.
MetroStars come into the clash on the back of successive PlayStation 4 National Premier League South Australia victories. A goal in each half downed Croydon 2-1 at the weekend.
Coach Rob Saraceno says the team, fifth in the league, come into the match on the back of good form.
“I’m pleased with the result. We knew it would be tough against a team which needed the points,” Saraceno said.
“I’m happy about how we went about getting the win. We had a few players out, but those who came in did their job.
“We took our chances and got the goals.”
MetroStars returns to the FFA Cup following its Cup Final success against Adelaide Comets. The Klemzig club won through to the Round of 16 last term thanks to a victory over Sydney’s Blacktown City, but fell at home against Victorian outfit Oakleigh Cannons.
Saraceno knows his team faces a tough test to advance once more.
“The boys are excited. Aside from Jonathan Negus we have a full squad to choose from.
“The aim is to go as far as we can, but we know it will be difficult against Bentleigh. If you get through then who knows, maybe you play an A-League team. If we can mirror last season it will be good.
“Bentleigh are well organised. They are dangerous up front and hard to break down. But we will try to unsettle them with our gameplan.”
Bentleigh are top of the pile in the PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues Victoria, seven points clear of Heidelberg United.
It has won the past three matches, including a 3-0 triumph against Green Gully on Friday night. Coach John Anastasiadis says his team is feeling confident.
“It was a tough game as Green Gully is still in the finals race,” he said.
“We put in a decent performance and outlasted them in the last 20 minutes to score all three goals.
“We are confident in how we are playing at the moment. We have been solid and the boys are carrying out the instructions well.”
The reigning league champions became the first state league club to reach the FFA Cup Semi-finals when it downed Adelaide City in 2014. After missing out last season, the Greens are hoping to again make a splash.
However, Anastasiadis is wary of the threat MetroStars possess.
“We had a few new players a couple of years ago, who have bonded with the squad a lot more now. But it’s the same core of the squad as in 2014.
“The competition is getting stronger each year. In the first year some were a bit hesitant, so we won’t be looking too far ahead.
“It will be a very tough game against a very good squad.
“I’ve seen MetroStars play, they have A-League experience with [Travis] Dodd, [Fabian] Barbiero and [Adam] Van Dommele, not to discount the other guys. They have gotten better as the season has gone on.”
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