Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United face off in the first Elimination Final of the 2015 Hyundai A-League Finals Series tonight at the Adelaide Oval (kick-off 7.30pm AEST).
Here are 10 facts ahead of the knockout fixture…
10
Brisbane Roar has won 10 out of 16 Finals Series matches in the history of the Hyundai A-League.
This includes three Grand Finals (2011, 2012 and 2014) and an Elimination Final against Adelaide United in the 2012/13 season.
9
The first Hyundai A-League Finals Series meetings between these two teams was in 2009.
Adelaide progressed to the 2009 Hyundai A-League Grand Final, thanks to an unstoppable shot from Fabien Barbiero in the 25th minute. The Reds lost 1-0 to Melbourne Victory in the Championship decider.
In the only other Finals Series meetings between Brisbane and Adelaide, Luke Brattan scored his first Hyundai A-League goal to open the scoring at Coopers Stadium in 2013.
Ivan Franjic made it 2-0 before the break before former Roar midfielder Dario Vidosic scored an 89th minute consolation for the home side.
8
Brisbane is unbeaten against the Reds away from home in eight Hyundai A-League appearances (seven wins, one draw). This run of form also includes six wins in a row.
However, the record does not include Brisbane’s 2-0 Westfield FFA Cup Round of 16 loss to Adelaide in September last year. Bruce Djite and Sergio Cirio scored either side of half-time.
7
Both Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United have qualified for seven Hyundai A-League Finals Series, which is a joint league record.
Between the two teams are five Hyundai A-League Grand Final appearances (Adelaide in 2007 and 2009 and Brisbane in 2011, 2012 and 2014).
6
The Roar’s Costa Rican striker Jean Carlos Solorzano has scored six goals this Hyundai A-League season, two behind the club’s leading goal scorer Henrique who is ruled out of the Finals Series following a full knee reconstruction.
5
Former Adelaide United midfielder Steven Lustica has scored five goals this Hyundai A-League season, including a hat-trick against Central Coast Mariners in Round 26.
Brisbane has one other former Adelaide player in tonight’s match day squad, Daniel Bowles. He is expected to line up alongside James Donachie in the centre of defence.
4
The Roar and the Reds have met four times in 2014/15.
In September 2014, Adelaide beat Brisbane 2-0 in the Westfield FFA Cup Round of 16.
In Round 1 of the Hyundai A-League season, Josep Gombau’s side again prevailed – coming from behind to beat ten-man Roar 2-1 after Thomas Broich opened the scoring from a free-kick.
In Round 10, Brazilian livewire Henrique scored a stunning long-range effort to seal a 0-1 win.
Just two weeks ago in Round 25, the Roar raced to a 3-0 lead inside an hour thanks to Andrija Kaluderovic’s opening goal, an own goal from Eugene Galekovic and Jack Hingert’s first ever Hyundai A-League goal. A late comeback from the Reds saw the match finish 2-3.
3
Three Brisbane players with more than five Finals Series games under their belt will feature at the Adelaide Oval tonight.
Midfielders Matt McKay (11), Thomas Broich (10) and Luke Brattan (7) are in the match-day squad for tonight’s Elimination Final.
Other players with significant Finals Series experience – Michael Theo (16), Jade North (13), Henrique (10) and Shane Stefanutto (10) – are missing through injury and illness.
2
The two best passers in the Hyundai A-League this season will play in tonight’s Elimination Final.
Adelaide’s Isaias completed 1564 passes this season, one more ahead of Luke Brattan’s 1563.
However, Brattan topped the league in average completed passes per game (55.3).
1
Now both captaining their sides, Brisbane’s Matt McKay and Eugene Galekovic of Adelaide are the only remaining players that started in the 2009 Preliminary Final.
Roar defender Luke DeVere also started for the away team but will miss tonight’s clash with a quad injury. Current Reds defender Michael Marrone, who will miss tonight’s match through suspension, was an unused substitute.
