By Lachlan Mitchell
Melbourne City is primed and ready for a tilt at back-to-back A-League Championships.
The Casey-based side will feature in its third consecutive grand-final when it faces off against Western United in an all-Melbourne final tonight at AAMI Park.
City is looking for the double after claiming the premier’s plate for finishing on top during the regular season.
City’s path into the final wasn’t as stress-free as its fans would have liked.
Melbourne had to fight from a goal-down to beat Adelaide United in its semi-final encounter.
City young-star Marco Tilio was on hand to level the score in the 74th minute.
Melbourne needed only two minutes of extra-time for Jamie Maclaren to drive home the winner, booking Melbourne City a place in the grand-final.
Western United had to fight back from a goal down in its first leg against cross-town rival Melbourne Victory.
United fought back against the odds, to sail past Victory 4-1 to see it feature in its first grand-final since the club’s inception in 2018.
The Saturday night fixture is set to be ingrained in history, with both teams staring down the barrel of something special.
Melbourne City is looking at securing back-to-back championships, a feat that has never been done in the clubs history, while Western United is looking at securing its first ever title in just its fourth year in the competition.
Both teams star-strikers are set to feature prominently and will ultimately decide the result.
United striker Aleksandar Prijovic has been crucial in getting his side to the grand-final.
The Serbian-born striker has scored 12 goals in his 26 matches this season and was influential in leading his side over Melbourne Victory, scoring two goals.
During the week, City striker Jamie Maclaren was officially recognised as the Golden Boot winner for the second consecutive season.
The striker scored 16 goals this season to win the prestigious award.
Maclaren has had extra-motivation this season, after he missed last year’s grand-final due to Covid-19 health and safety protocols.
The grand-final kicks off tonight, Saturday 28 May, at 7.45pm.
