Nikos Vergos of Melbourne Victory FC and Hiroki Sakai of Auckland FC compete for the ball Photo: CON CHRONIS
Melbourne Victory v Auckland FC
Kickoff: Saturday 17 May, 9.35pm
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Live blog updates on RNZ Sport
Auckland FC and Melbourne Victory's A-League semi-final series is a battle between a club creating history and the competition's most storied playoff club.
Winners of the Premiership, for finishing top of the league after the regular season, Auckland have made an instant impact in their first season.
The side's dominance was highlighted by the fact they had beaten every team expect Adelaide United at least once this season - including a 2-0 win over Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park less than a month ago.
Coach Steve Corica said Auckland's dominance this season gave him confidence in his players ahead of the finals.
"The journey started long time ago now, a year ago, and they've got better and better each game, and the most consistent team over the course of season is something we should be really proud of, and the premiership in our first year.
"So can we go one better and get into the final and win that? Why not?"
Auckland players celebrate their 2-0 win with their fans. Photo: Con Chronis / Photosport
Despite being the lowest ranked qualifier for the 2024/25 semi-finals Melbourne Victory has history on their side.
Across the previous 19 seasons Victory has won eight semi-finals.
Victory has won the A-League Championship four times and the Premiership three times and is the only club to have won all four trophies available in Australian domestic football.
After the regular season Victory upset Western Sydney Wanderers in an Elimination final to progress to the home and away semi-final series against Auckland.
Melbourne Victory captain Roderick Miranda played down Auckland's lack of finals experience and compared the New Zealand side to Western United who won the Championship in 2022.
"To be honest I think they play every single game as a final I always said if Auckland made it to the finals they would be a really difficult team to beat because they don't make a lot of mistakes it is a team that always wait for the mistake of an opponent.
"They know how to defend they know how to [mitigate] all the threats of the other teams.
"Every step they take on the pitch is because they work on that."
Auckland FC midfielder Jake Brimmer is a former Victory player who is well aware of the club's history and the way the fan base feel about him now that he has left.
Last time Auckland played Victory in Melbourne he was booed every time he touched the ball.
"I was a little bit disappointed in a way because of what I did at Melbourne Victory but I guess that's football you never know what to expect," Brimmer said of his reception in April.
"I've got no hate for Melbourne Victory, they're a great footballing team, but I wear [the Auckland FC] badge now and it's important we go out there and get the job done and I'll be doing everything in my power to help the boys over the line in the next two weeks."
Brimmer believed this match up was fate.
"I think it's written. It's no coincidence that Victory won I think they've been a great team as well and they rightly deserved to win that game against Western Sydney but we've been the benchmark all year and we'll show that this week."
Attack versus defence
Nando Pijnaker of Auckland FC after scoring against the Brisbane Roar. Photo: Photosport
The semi-final is being described as a meeting of the competition's best defensive players from Auckland FC against the league's best attacking power from Melbourne Victory.
Victory left-back Kasey Bos has scored three times in his last three games and combine that with Zinedine Machach, Nishan Velupillay and young Australian Daniel Arzani and the home side will have plenty to challenge Auckland's goal with.
But Auckland has built a bit of a wall at the back this season with one of the competition's best goalkeepers Alex Paulsen, who has kept the most clean sheets of an keeper this season, with captain Hiroki Sakai, Nando Pijnaker, Dan Hall and Francis De Vries in front of him.
Corica said football games were won by what happened in the two 18-yard boxes and he did not expect it to be any different on Saturday.
"We want to try and keep another clean sheet against them, if we can do that that would be wonderful, and I think we will have chances and they will probably have a couple of chances as well and it will just depend on who takes the chances at the right time.
"If we defend well down one end and we go really well in the attacking side of things and take out chances when they come we've got a big chance of winning again."
Head to head
Alex Paulsen of Auckland FC celebrates a goal. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
On average this season Auckland FC has put out the second oldest starting side at 27 years and 223 days old. Melbourne Victory's average starting 11 was the third oldest across the competition at 27 years and 206 days old.
Corica used 23 different players this season and Victory used 22 players.
Both Auckland and Victory have had 13 different goal scorers.
The semi-final opponents have similar disciplinary records, with Auckland players getting 40 yellow cards and Victory 39 yellows. Both sides have had two straight red cards.
Auckland conceded nine fewer goals than Victory in the regular season and scored five more.
The first time Auckland and Victory played on New Years Day it was a 0-0 draw. The second time they played on 19 April it was a 2-0 win to Auckland.
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