Soccer: Dream final as big two face off for title

MELBOURNE - It is the A-League grand final most have been anticipating all season.

Australia's two biggest cities, the A-League's two best teams this year, its two leading coaches, and a mouthwatering amount of the competition's best players go head-to-head in Melbourne on Saturday.

Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC are both previous champions - the Victory aiming for a third title and undisputed status as competition benchmarks.

Yet the two clubs have never met in a playoffs match until this season, over two high-quality legs of the major semifinal won by the Victory in extra time.

While Sydney FC have been robbed of one matchwinner with a hamstring injury to striker and leading scorer John Aloisi, Melbourne have regained one in Archie Thompson.

Thompson came off the bench in his first match for more than a month to score the extra-time winner which sent his side into the grand final and earned Melbourne hosting rights.

The 31-year-old striker is confident he will be fit enough to start the match, and is hoping for a repeat of his record five-goal haul in the 6-0 grand final trouncing of Adelaide United in 2007.

Victory coach Ernie Merrick agrees his side's grand final experience could be seen as an advantage, though he points out that every game, opponent and build-up to a season decider are different.

Sydney FC have not been involved in a grand final since season one of the competition. Then they went on to beat the Central Coast Mariners at home - but face the more difficult task of going to Melbourne's Etihad Stadium and wresting the prize from the defending champions.

Sydney's hopes have been buoyed by a better head-to-head record against the Victory in 2009-10, as well as a 3-0 early-season win at Etihad Stadium.

In his first season in charge, Sydney FC coach Vitezslav Lavicka has turned the club around from under-achievers to grand finalists.

They boast a core of experienced professionals, with central defenders Simon Colosimo and Swiss international Stephan Keller typical of a solid batch of 10-year veterans who have gelled beautifully under Lavicka's tactical style.

Victory's Merrick prefers a more attacking approach. His team is built around the magic of Thompson and midfield gun Carlos Hernandez, the A-League's player of the year.

- AAP