Wednesday evening is crunch-time for Sydney FC as they prepare for this A-League semi-final against Perth Glory as they look to end a concerning five-match sequence without a win.
Despite this slump in form, Sydney FC claimed the preliminary A-League title at the end of the regular season by a six-point margin ahead of runners-up, Melbourne City, but Steve Corica’s side now need to click back into gear and rekindle the kind of form which saw the Blues storm to the top of the A-League.
From the start of November through to towards the end of February, Sydney FC embarked upon an impressive sequence of results which saw the hosts amass a total of 12 wins within a 13-match stretch, but they were unable to sustain this form in subsequent matches.
Sydney have since won just a further two matches from their subsequent 10 matches overall which were victories over Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix but three defeats out of their last five matches has put the hosts on notice here.
Perth Glory claimed the final play-off spot as the west coast side finished the regular A-League season in 6th place, narrowly edging out the likes of Adelaide United and Newcastle Jets to claim their place in the play-off finals.
However, although they secured their passage through to this semi-final against Sydney FC thanks to a narrow 1-0 win against Wellington Phoenix, results overall have also been unconvincing as Perth limped to their top six finish.
Three wins out of their last 11 matches overall include wins against Central Coast Mariners, Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix but six defeats within this 11-match sequence suggest a level of vulnerability which Sydney FC will be keen to expose in this semi-final.
In addition, The Glory have won just two of their last seven matches on their travels so this looks far from being an easy assignment for Tony Popovic’s side despite the recent problems that Sydney FC have experienced.
SQUAD | Check out the Sky Blues' submitted squad for tomorrow's Semi-Final clash at Bankwest Stadium! See who's in and who's out - https://t.co/fZOXIzJiwR#SydneyIsSkyBlue #Premi4rs #OneDown pic.twitter.com/BqHTUDiaV3— Sydney FC (@SydneyFC) August 25, 2020
SQUAD | Check out the Sky Blues' submitted squad for tomorrow's Semi-Final clash at Bankwest Stadium! See who's in and who's out - https://t.co/fZOXIzJiwR#SydneyIsSkyBlue #Premi4rs #OneDown pic.twitter.com/BqHTUDiaV3
Previous exchanges between these two sides also favour the hosts, Sydney FC, here as Steve Corica’s side have won 13 of the last 15 meetings against Perth Glory, and with Sydney FC striker, Le Fondre (20 goals) still in the hunt for the Golden Boot, the hosts should get up here.