The final games of Hahn Australia Cup Round of 32 are set to kick off on Thursday evening, with South Melbourne and Sydney Olympic hoping to pull off 'Cupsets' against A-League Men opposition.
Read our preview of the action below.
South Melbourne v Adelaide United
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEST
Venue: Lakeside Stadium
Broadcast: Paramount+
Tickets
Australian Championship winners South Melbourne host Adelaide United as they hope to replicate deep Hahn Australia Cup runs of the past.
South have struggled slightly in the NPL Victoria this season but are only one win away from jumping all the way to third. They come into this game on a four-game unbeaten run and will be drawing on both their success in the inaugural Championship last year and extensive experience in the Australia Cup, having reached the semi-finals in 2017 and 2024.
The team from Lakeside Stadium are no strangers to a ‘Cupset’, having defeated the Wellington Phoenix in the Round of 32 in 2024.
Adelaide United are the most successful team in the history of the Cup, having won three times. However, their recent history has been patchier, including being eliminated in the Round of 32 last year.
Coach Airton Andrioli said during the week that the Cup provides an opportunity to not only prepare for the A-League Men’s season ahead, but also go as far as they can.
Captain Craig Goodwin – set to be a key player, as always, for both the Cup and their league season – echoed that sentiment.
“There are a lot of good players in the NPL setup that could potentially play A-League and are at that level,” he said.
“For us, it’s about playing the way that we play, focusing on what we can control, and making sure we don’t have a day where we think it’s going to be an easy game.
Sydney Olympic v Brisbane Roar
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEST
Venue: Belmore Sports Ground
Broadcast: 10.com.au, YouTube
Tickets
Sydney Olympic will be looking to salvage something from a disappointing NPL campaign with a deep run in the Hahn Australia Cup, starting with taking on A-League Men’s side Brisbane Roar.
Olympic find themselves bottom of the table in the NPL NSW table, with it all to do to avoid relegation into the second tier. They qualified for the national rounds for the first time since 2021 after coming back from two goals behind to defeat Fraser Park 3-2.
It would be their first ever ‘Cupset’ win, and third time reaching the Round of 16, if they were to pull off the victory.
The Roar, meanwhile, are one month into pre-season and raring to go in their first competitive match of the campaign.
A whole host of players are in line to debut for the club in the tie including the experienced Joel King and German winger Marko Ilic, alongside youngsters like Archie Mitchell, Oscar Page, and George Plusnin.
“A trophy is up for grabs, and that’s a really nice opportunity… if you want to be a competitive beast, if you want to be a professional footballer, there’s nothing better than competing for a trophy,” Head Coach Michael Valkanis said during the week.
