A-LEAGUE PREVIEW FINALS WEEK1
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday February 19, 2010
Gold Coast (3)vNewcastle (6)Saturday 8pm, Skilled Park, RobinaHassett's preview:Perhaps for the first time in this fixture, the prospect of father against son might be overshadowed by what happens elsewhere on the pitch. It's not that Jason and Branko Culina won't have a massive say in proceedings - they will - it's just that there are bigger things on the line than family pride. Newcastle might have been the only team to rack up four straight wins during the regular season but it's the inverse of that equation - four straight losses - that makes for the form line going into the finals. Compounding the misery is the loss of Michael Bridges. However, Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Song Jin-hyung, Jobe Wheelhouse, Sean Rooney and Labinot Haliti are all back. Gold Coast will be disappointed at missing a top-two spot but Miron Bleiberg at least has the luxury of picking a strong squad.Referee:Matthew BreezeTV:Live on Fox Sports 1Betting:Gold Coast United $1.75, Newcastle Jets $4.50, draw $3.40Wellington Phoenix (4)vPerth Glory (5)Sunday 3pm, Westpac Stadium, WellingtonHassett's preview:Both teams are in a finals series for the first time, but one will be packing their bags after the final whistle. Wellington have been in magnificent form since their New Year's Eve victory over Central Coast Mariners. While there's still a long way to go, it would be a brave man to discount them. At home, they're a serious force, and Perth are making of the longest trips in domestic football. The visitors have called up some big guns, with Chris Coyne, Jacob Burns, Branko Jelic and Mile Sterjovski (pictured left) all set to start in a near-full-strength squad. The Phoenix have recalled Diego and Ben Sigmund but they face a tough battle to win starting spots. The big query is whether the Glory can overcome the effects of their long trip and then survive the ferocity of a big home crowd.Referee:Strebre DelovskiTV:Live on Fox Sports 1Betting: Wellington Phoenix $1.95, Perth Glory $3.70, draw $3.30
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