City Chasing Tenth National League Title

Words: ACFC Media

Thursday 28 November 2024

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – Auckland City FC are gearing up for a high-stakes encounter against Birkenhead United, with both the New Zealand National League title and a place in the 2025 OFC Champions League on the line.

Sunday’s match at North Harbour Stadium marks the fifth meeting between these two rivals this season, following two Northern League clashes, a National League encounter, and a Chatham Cup semi-final.

In their opening match during the Northern League phase of the 2024 New Zealand Championship, City showcased resilience by clawing back from a 2-0 deficit to secure a hard-fought draw at the Croatian Club. In their second Northern League match, Albert Riera’s men put in a dominant performance at Shepherds Park to grab all three points with a 3-1 win.

After 22 rounds, Auckland City were crowned Northern League Champions, while Birkenhead finished eight points behind in fourth place, with the top four qualifying for the National League. Auckland City FC also emerged victorious in their Chatham Cup semi-final, clinching a thrilling 4-2 win in extra time at Kiwitea in September.

The Navy Blues picked up another 3-1 win as the two rivals kicked off their 2024 National League campaign just eleven days later. Birkenhead’s opening-round defeat to Auckland City was their only National League loss as they finished the nine-round competition on top of the table, a point clear of City. Auckland City clinched their spot in the title decider by finishing second, thanks to a commanding 5-1 win over Coastal Spirit FC in the final round of the regular season.

Get ready for an action-packed match as Auckland City FC aims to secure their tenth National League title and a berth in the 2025 OFC Champions League.

You can watch the match Live and Free on FIFA+ HERE

HEAD TO HEAD

29.09.24 ACFC 3-1 BUAFC
18.09.24 ACFC 4-2 BUAFC (AET)
07.08.24 BUAFC 1-3 ACFC
07.07.24 ACFC 2-2 BUAFC
24.06.23 BUAFC 0-2 ACFC
07.04.23 ACFC 5-1 BUAFC
30.04.22 ACFC 3-0 BUAFC
13.07.22 BUAFC 3-5 ACFC
15.10.22 BUAFC 2-2 ACFC
14.08.21 BUAFC 4-3 ACFC
11.07.21 BUAFC 3-3 AEST (PEN) 1-3 ACFC
08.05.21. ACFC 5-0 BUAFC

MATCH DETAILS
National League GF
Sunday1 December 2024
Birkenhead United AFC vs. Auckland City FC
North Harbour Stadium
Kick-off: 4:00pm

AC SQUAD: 1. Conor TRACEY (GK) 2. Mario ILICH (C) 3. Adam MITCHELL 4. Christian GRAY 5. Marco LORENZ 6. Kailan GOULD 7. Myer BEVAN 8. Gerard GARRIGA 9. Angus KILKOLLY 10. Dylan MANICKUM 11. Ryan DE VRIES 12. Regont MURATI 13. Nathan LOBO 14. Kentaro OZAKI 15. Aston BURNS 16. Joe LEE 17. Jerson LAGOS 18. Areya PRASAD (GK) 19. Yuki AIZU 20. Derek TIEKU 21. Adam BELL 22. Tong ZHOU 23. Alfie ROGERS 24. Nathan GARROW (GK) 25. Michael DEN HEIJER 26. Rayan TAYEB 27. Stipe UKICH 28. Luka VICELICH 29. Jesse GAGE 30. Matt MATANYAYIRE

COACH: Albert RIERA
ASSISTANT COACH: Ivan VICELICH
GK COACH: Enaut ZUBIKARAI
TECHNICAL: Adria CASALS
LOGISTICS: Robin HAYTER
PHYSIO: Matt PAYNE