Westfield FFA Cup Brisbane Zone Preliminary RD7 Preview
Catch-up round is with us which means it’s also the last qualifying round of the Westfield FFA Cup with one team from the Flight Centre Premier League and one from the PS4 NPL certain to go to the Round of 32, as well as at least one team which has never been there before (possibly two.) It’s a huge Friday and Saturday of football which is sure to see big crowds roll up as most of the players down through the leagues have the weekend off. On with the show... Olympic FC vs Moreton Bay United Friday 7:30pm at Goodwin Park Olympic FC sit on the cusp of their second Westfield FFA Cup qualification in front of what is sure to be a huge home crowd at Goodwin Park. And there is no reason they can’t take the next step and achieve the dream for the new generation of players. They have had little trouble getting this far with MBU being a different proposition. Nerves could go against them but they’ll be solid favourites. Moreton Bay United are yet to get anywhere near this close to the Round of 32 despite arguably having better teams than the current crop. Only one point outside of the top four, the Jets have been playing some solid if not spectacular football which could play into their hands in the pressure cooker atmosphere at Yeronga. Under-rated and capable of winning, they could take this game all the way to the finish line. Olympic are deserved favourites but goals won’t be easy to come by. The longer the game goes without a goal, the better will be for MBU. Prediction: Olympic 2-1 Grange Thistle vs Peninsula Power Saturday 6pm at Lanham Park Grange Thistle are already the fairytale story of this season’s Westfield FFA Cup and that could be played out on the national stage if they can repeat their win from just last Saturday. Without a league win two weeks ago, the Tangerines go into this game with three wins in a row under their belt and a whole new lease on life, not only for the team but also for the club. Home advantage will be huge if the crowd get behind them. Peninsula Power have been reeling and struggling and confounding their own supporters with a season which at times defies description. On paper this shouldn’t even be a contest and yet somehow they lost to the same team and at the same venue last weekend. But this is the real deal. If ever they needed to click and play their best football, this is the time. As underdogs, the pressure if not quite as much. A gigantic contest which will go all the way to the final whistle. Power can break a lot of hearts with a win, and they will. Prediction: Power 2-0
