Defending champions and minor premiers Auckland City started their tie against Canterbury United as favourites and will begin Sunday’s match with a narrow one goal advantage over the Dragons.
Auckland also has home advantage and two crucial away goals in their favour, however, and will be eager to wrap up the tie at Kiwitea Street and advance to their fifth NZFC Grand Final.
But Canterbury have played their best football this season when written off, and showed both attacking flair and defensive grit in the 1-1 draw between the two sides in the NZFC regular season at the same venue earlier this season.
With Auckland eyeing a win or draw to take them through, Canterbury need to attack with a 2-0 result enough to see them advance to just their second NZFC Grand Final.
But it will be a defensive tightrope for the Keith Braithwaite and his team with an Auckland goal making Canterbury’s job even more difficult because of the away goals rule. Minor premiership runners-up Waitakere United also have a one-goal deficit to make up with Team Wellington as they return home to Fred Taylor Park on Saturday.
Waitakere has conceded eight goals in three games in matches against Stu Jacobs’ capital outfit and will eye the visitors with more caution than they did in the corresponding fixture last season when they crushed Wellington 5-0.
Wellington were the form team at the back-end of the regular season and with two wins over Waitakere this season already, the boys from the capital will believe they can fulfil the Grand Final dream.
A draw is good enough for Wellington to progress while Waitakere need to win to qualify for their fourth straight NZFC Grand Final.
A 3-2 Waitakere win would send the game to extra time while a higher scoring win would hand them the tie on away goals or aggregate.
Key players Andy Barron and Greg Draper will need to fire if Wellington are to unlock Waitakere’s defence, but shutting down Waitakere match winners Benjamin Totori and Roy Krishna will be equally important.
In the Lion Foundation National Men’s Youth League Final, Waitakere United will meet Canterbury United’s youngsters at English Park on Sunday 11 April, 2010, kick-off 2pm.
Story courtesy NZFC Media.
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