The battle for a 2018 Hyundai A-League Finals Series spot will go down to the wire with three teams in the hunt for sixth.
The battle for a 2018 Hyundai A-League Finals Series spot will go down to the wire with three teams in the hunt for sixth.
Grab your tickets for Sunday’s match against Adelaide United here.
Western Sydney Wanderers, Brisbane Roar and Perth Glory are each set to enter Round 27 with hopes keeping their campaigns alive.
All three finished inside the top six last term, while Roar have not missed out on the Finals Series since 2010.
We have zeroed in on the permutations to find out who needs what to snatch the last remaining ticket.
WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS
Current position: 6th on 33 points (GD -8)
Western Sydney’s fate rests in their own hands.
Beat the visiting Adelaide United on Sunday and Josep Gombau will have booked a place in the Finals Series in his first season in charge.
Win by three goals and Gombau will even leapfrog his former club into fifth.
But a point would only be enough if Roar and Glory draw their game, while losing would see them overtaken by one of the chasing pair.
With that fixture to be played on Saturday night, Wanderers will know exactly what they need when they take the field at ANZ Stadium.
Can finish: 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th
BRISBANE ROAR
Current position: 7th on 32 points (GD -8)
Brisbane’s heavy defeat away to Wanderers in Round 26 saw them lose slip of the sixth-placed spot that seemed likely to be theirs.
The must now gain a result in Perth and hope Western Sydney do not match or better it against Adelaide.
Victory would put the pressure right back on the incumbents, while a draw would leave them praying for a Wanderers loss.
Can finish: 6th, 7th, 8th
PERTH GLORY
Current position: 8th on 32 points (GD -12)
The scenario for Perth is simple, albeit less than preferential.
Kenny Lowe’s men have no option but to beat seventh-placed Roar and cross their fingers that Adelaide can snare a result at ANZ Stadium the following day.
Glory’s goal difference is four worse than that of John Aloisi’s side, meaning a point does little for their aspirations.
Not that they would be thinking of a deadlock in any event: Glory have only drawn twice this entire season, while they have won more matches than both Brisbane and Western Sydney.
Can finish: 6th, 7th, 8th
