- Weston Bears are unbeaten in 2 (W2, D0) at home since the new year.
- Melbourne City FC have won one and lost one of their last two away games.
All signs point to a City stroll
Weston Bears will be desperate for this cup clash against A-League opposition to be a bit of a shambles as it suits their style of play, but Melbourne City FC will be looking to control the territory and tempo on Sunday. City are a much better side on paper and Aurelio Vidmar's men should have more than enough to justify their 1.14 favourites status, but the odds on the draw at 8.4 and Weston at 8.7 look a bit low considering the gap in quality.
Vidmar has done a remarkable job at City since taking over on 2 November 2023 as his team is well structured, pro-active and very tough to beat when they get their shape right. The last five tells an even better story than the 5-1-4 record in all competitions across the last ten (W5, D1, L4) as it reads 3-0-2, which suggests that there are still some cracks to be exposed.
That's not a good thing to have when you are going up against a side that will be sitting deep, keeping the block narrow and looking to spring counters or create set-piece chaos. But the City have a player that can unlock defences, Marcus Younis, who has been their spark plug with four of their nine goals coming in the last 5 games.
Weston are on a roll
The hosts will come into this clash in good spirits as their momentum is real. Since a 0-5 battering of Charlestown Azzurri away from home, Weston are unbeaten in five and they're going to push on the basis of that 5-2 home win over Kahibah FC last time out.
Their overall record in their last 10 matches is good with four wins, three draws and three defeats, but their form at home is even better with two wins, zero draws and zero defeats.
The odds suggest that goals are coming here, which is usually the case when an A-League side plays National Premier League opposition. Over 2.5 goals is 1.29 and Both Teams To Score - No is 1.68, both of which back the view that City can keep this within their reach.
