In the fight to secure the final spot in the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Grand Final, Sydney Olympic will take on Blacktown City FC at Belmore Sports Ground this Sunday at 3pm with CommBank Stadium in their sights as well as facing Manly United in the big dance.
In a rematch of the final match of the season that saw Sydney Olympic crowned Premiers after defeating Blacktown City, who would have secured the premiership if they held on for a draw or a win, the two heavyweights will come face to face as they look to join Manly United FC in the Grand Final.
After taking out the silverware, Olympic enjoyed a week off before matching up with Manly United last weekend, where they suffered a loss in a tight penalty shootout.
They will surely be fired up and looking for redemption in front of their home fans as they hunt down the double glory in the 2022 competition.
Having already secured the win over the Western Sydney side in Round 11 and the victory in Round 22, Olympic will be confident they can tackle Blacktown as they have already proved twice this year.
Golden boot winner Roy O’Donovan will be one to watch as he leads the attacking force of Olympic, alongside their other talented attackers, with the likes of Oliver Pufflet, Adam Parkhouse and Darcy Burgess all posing big threats.
Sam McIllhatton secured the only goal within the match last week and will be looking to make it two from two, while the defensive duo of Michael Glassock and Ben Van Meurs will be hoping to hold out Blacktown.
Travis Major has been a force to be reckoned with since rejoining Blacktown late in the season, while Mitchell Mallia and Jordan Smylie were the goal scorers in last week’s win.
The Blacktown defence has been an impressive source of strength throughout the whole season, with Grant Lynch the standout in the back line and Tyren Burnie stepping up in the absence of Daniel Collins in recent weeks.
Blacktown, who lost to Manly in their first finals match before taking down APIA Leichhardt in their second, will be hoping their third is the lucky match that gives them a shot at the Championship after the Premiership fell away from them.
In a high-stakes match there is sure to be plenty of fire and fight as both sides give their all in their last shot at the Grand Final.
It will be just as intriguing on the bench as Ante Juric faces Mark Crittenden. In what could be Juric’s last match as coach of Olympic following the club’s announcement that he won’t be back in 2023, you can be sure that he will hype his chargers up and will leave no stone unturned in the fight of getting them to next Saturday’s final.
Who will join Manly United in the big dance next week?