A-League tipping – semi-finals second leg : Now or never

The A-League is reaching its pinnacle, both semi-final ties poised beautifully for maximum second-leg drama, and it’s down to the away teams to remain steadfast to stop the home crowds carrying their heroes to victory. If you’re a neutral, these games are mouth-watering, although even a neutral has a soft spot for the romance associated with Adelaide United and Newcastle Jets. The bling of Sydney FC doesn’t sparkle as it did and Auckland FC’s shiny new bandwagon is mis-firing, so two home wins are almost certainly going to give us the grand final the people want.

Make sure you tune in on Friday and Saturday for some rip-roaring A-League action as we decide who will play in the grand final and cap off the season in style.

The Roar’s A-League tips and predictions’ temporary home is enjoying having you here. This is a safe space for discussion and banter, and you can join in by submitting your tips and giving yourself a shout-out in the comments below. Enjoy this one, it’s going to be special.

Stuart Thomas

Adelaide, Newcastle

Well what a dud of a first leg  it was! Two draws and it all comes down to the home teams being good enough to cash in and make the statement that gets them into the grand final.

I think both can do it, with the Reds always good things at home and the Jets the form team and more than capable of knocking off the evil Sydney FC. Let’s hope it plays out that way and we get a grand final in the Hunter between the best two teams in the league across the course of the season.

Andrew Prentice

Adelaide, Newcastle

Two cracking games last week in their respective 1^st legs brought us no closer to the eventual Grand Finalists. It seemed that Adelaide picked up the most momentum by coming away from the tough-to-visit Mount Smart all-square as they go into what should be a raucous packed house at Hindmarsh on Friday night. Auckland have – if not hit the skids – then have slid off-course by not registering a regular-time win in any of their last six games. The Reds most pressing issue is when to unleash Craig Goodwin, who has made off-the-bench cameos when needed since returning from injury. They will also have Luka Jovanovic available and the most pressing issue for HIM is keeping his shirt on. Adelaide to edge this, even if it takes them extra time.

The Sydney-Jets clash at the SFS last week reminds us how great the A League can be. An end-to-end classic which could have given either side an advantage with the odd bit of luck but ended up playing right down the middle. Broadmeadow should be heaving for the rematch as the Jets hunt for the Impossible Treble of cup, premiership and championship. The Sky Blues marked attribute since Patrick Kisnorbo’s arrival has been defensive resilience. But this will be by far their sternest test – a packed house of rabid fans in Australia’s great football nursery, and a team that have routinely ploughed irrigation furrows through defences all season. Sydney have the experience and discipline but after the season they’ve had, the Jets deserve a finals place so this pick has a degree of sentimentality to it. Jets to win.

Texi Smith

Auckland, Sydney

The weekend kicks off on Friday night with Adelaide United at home in their magnificent amphitheatre to welcome Auckland FC to a duel, winner takes all. The Reds were much the better team in last week’s first leg in New Zealand, they’ll be weighed down by the expectancy though and this will be a free hit for the visitors, looking to topple the bookies’ favourites on the night in their own backyard. The first half is a showcase of intricate football from the hosts, mixed with some outrageous pace down each flank, but there will be no goals. An edgy Coopers Stadium crowd can scarcely believe it when Francis De Vries delivers an in-swinging free kick which deceives Jushua Smits and bounces in without a touch. From there, it’s all-out attack from Adelaide with Auckland relying on brief spells of possession on the counter-attack. No surprises then, when Jesse Randall is played clean through with the Reds’ defence committed to attack and he completes the smash-and-grab, Auckland through to their first grand final.

The fleet of buses carrying Sydney FC fans up the M1 is testament to the huge interest in this game as they somehow maintain belief in their team following a season of mediocrity and underachievement. The Newcastle Jets fans are out in force for tonight’s semi-final decider, and there is a sprinkling of magic in the air as the two teams emerge to a raucous crowd at Newcastle’s premier sporting venue. A surprise start for Victor Campuzano has a defence-minded Sydney FC a little off-kilter in the first half, unable to keep possession for any length of time and making this more of a defence v attack training session for the Jets. The lack of opportunities for the home team to run at and expose the Sydney defence is telling and they remain frustrated in an absorbing first half, Harrison Devenish-Meares making a number of saves but never looking like being beaten. A change in personnel midway through the second half has Sydney FC coming out of their shell, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and Paddy Wood offering a different option, but Clayton Taylor and Eli Adams continue the barrage from the home team. The late introduction of Joe Lolley, with extra time in mind, is a masterstroke, and he has a hand in the late winner that seals a one-goal victory for the Sky Blues, Wood turning Lolley’s mis-hit right-foot cross past James Delianov in injury time to send the Sky Blue travelling army into delirium.

One point separates our tipsters, after all this time. The Crowd has romped to victory, but it’s the battle for second that is as hot as we’ve ever seen. Has Smith thrown caution to the wind in an attempt to overturn Prentice? Or will Thomas storm through to tee up a silver medal showdown next weekend? Let’s see :

Again, click three times to register your tips in support of The Crowd. Your input will help make sure that the tipsters stay far behind in the chasing pack with one game to play…

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