THE BIG ONE

Preparations are complete and your City boys are ready to go for the second leg of our Semi Final clash with Sydney FC at AAMI Park tonight.

We head into the fixture tied 1-1 following the first leg a week ago, in a game that saw high drama and momentum swinging both ways throughout the night.

City hit the front through Mathew Leckie in just the 18th minute, before a Sydney FC penalty midway through the second half meant we enter the second leg on level pegging.

Making his 100th A-League Men’s appearance last week, Glover had a night to remember in the first leg, coming up with several top-class saves to deny Sydney time and time again.

Earning Player of the Match honours, Glover’s double save just shy of the break left Sydney FC fans scratching their heads as to how they didn’t score.

He would continue his strong form for the remainder of the night, his net only breached from the spot after his initial save was forced to be re-taken due to encroachment.

After missing the first leg due to back spasms, it is expected that City’s key cog in the midfield, Aiden O’Neill, will return tonight.

Having played such a key role in City’s success throughout the season, the injection of O’Neill into the side for this do-or-die Semi Final will be a welcome boost as we look to book our spot in the big dance.

While the Socceroo would be a welcome addition in the middle of the park, his inclusion would leave Vidosic with a tough call on the make-up of his midfield.

The first leg saw the international trio of Richard van der Venne, Valon Berisha and Florin Berenguer holding down the middle, and you’d imagine one of those would need to drop out should O’Neill return to the XI.

Despite seeing plenty of starting minutes across the season, a virtually full-strength City squad saw both Thomas Lam and Andrew Nabbout named as substitutes last week.

We’ll find out an hour before kick-off whether Vidosic opts to make any personnel changes, but he’s certainly not short of options should he want to throw a different look at Sydney FC for the second leg at AAMI Park tonight.