When Macarthur FC and Sydney FC clash at Campbelltown Stadium tomorrow night, they will also be playing for the inaugural Charity Cup.
The match will be played in support of the Sony Foundation, the charitable arm of the Sony group of companies supporting young people in need.
But with semi final spots up for grabs it’s doubtful there will be any charity on the field.
Both teams are on 38 points, Sydney FC a place higher in fourth spot on superior goal difference.
There are just two rounds left before the finals so the battle for points will be nothing less than ferocious.
Bulls had been a bit wobbly lately, but their gritty 2-1 win against the odds in Adelaide last weekend means they have got their mojo back just in time.
After being down 1-0 for most of the game, the Bulls lost defender Yianni Nicolaou to a red card with 15 minutes to go.
Incredibly, that’s what sparked the Bulls into action, and goals to Ariath Piol (pictured above) and Englishman Tommy Smith meant they came home with the three vital points.
It’s worth recalling their goalie, Filip Kurto, also played a key role: he saved a penalty by Adelaide’s Bayern Munich bound whiz kid Irankunda in the 93rd minute.
If that Adelaide performance didn’t harden the Bulls, nothing will.
One of their key players will be Valère Germain, who has been brilliant for Macarthur all season.
On top of that, his 12 goals so far mean he is just two away from equalling Matt Derbyshire (14 in 2020/21) for the most goals by a Macarthur FC player in an A-League season.
We’ll take those two goals tomorrow night, Valere, merci beaucoup.
Macarthur FC have won each of their last two A-League matches against Sydney FC, keeping a clean sheet across both those two meetings.
On the down side, the Bulls have lost each of their last two A-League matches at Campbelltown, and conceded three goals in each of those defeats.
But on the other hand the Bulls have not lost more than two consecutive games at their home ground in their history in the competition.
SNAPSHOT
Bulls v Sydney FC, Saturday, April 20, Campbelltown Stadium – gates open 6:45pm, kickoff 7:45pm.
