Keen contests expected as teams jostle for places in elimination round
Quarterfinal destinies will be decided tonight at the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue when the final group stage matches in the 2nd edition of the Petra Organization/Gt Beer Futsal Championship commences.
Mathematically, every team still has a chance to progress to the elimination round although qualification for some teams will depend on several results. In the first matchup at 19:30hrs, Agricola will lock horns with Back Circle. A win for Back Circle will seal their place in the next round.
A draw could also prove enough especially if a winner is found in the Tiger Bay and Sparta matchup. A loss could be tricky especially if Sparta wins then the results of the other groups in pursuit of the third place qualifier berth will have to be taken into consideration.
On the other hand, Agricola needs several factors to go their way to progress. Firstly they need a heavy win against their opponents and secondly they need Tiger Bay to win by a large margin against Sparta Boss.
Thirdly, they require Broad Street and Albouystown to play to a draw or a marginal win for the former, and fourthly for West Front Road to beat Tucville and West Back Road to defeat North East La Penitence.
The second fixture at 20:15hrs will pit West Back Road against North East La Penitence. Similar to Agricola, West Back Road need several results to go their way to clinch a berth to the next round.
Firstly they need a sizeable win due to their poor goal differential. Secondly they need West Front Road to win by a significant margin against Tucville, leaving the group with three teams on three points.
The group runners-up would emerge via goal differential. To qualify as a third ranked team, they would also need sizeable wins for Back Circle and Tiger Bay from group-A and either an Albouystown win or draw against Broad Street.
For North East La Penitence, a win would guarantee their place in the next round. A loss would more than likely result in their exit especially factoring results from the other groups. A draw could allow prove enough to sneak their way into the next round as a third place qualifier.
At 21:00hrs, Albouystown battle Broad Street Bullies in the third fixture. Albouystown need divine intervention to qualify, with their only hope being as s third place qualifier. Their negative goal differential means they have win by a very large margin and hope several outcomes fall their way.
They would need West Front Road and West Back Road to win by very large margins against Tucville and North East La Penitence respectively in group-B. They also would require Tiger Bay and Back Circle to defeat Sparta Boss and Agricola by significant margins in group-A. All these outcomes must occur to stand even a chance of qualifying.
For Broad Street, a large win is needed alongside a severe loss for Bent Street against Sophia to seal a runners-up berth. A win would also keep their hopes alive as a third place qualifier, with defeat certainly sealing their exit.
In the fourth fixture at 21:45hrs, West Front Road-Gold is Money engages Tucville. West Front Road has practically sealed qualification. A loss would not hamper their chances in any way as, the worst they can finish is third in the group and would qualify as a third ranked team due to their six points and sound goal differential.
On the other side, a win would guarantee Tucville a place in the next round, while a draw would also give them a good chance of securing a knockout berth as, a third ranked based on the results of the other matches. Similarly, a loss could translate into an exit given the results of the other groups.
Meanwhile, defending champion Bent Street lock horns with Sophia at 22:30hrs. Similar to West Front Road, Sophia has practically sealed their place in the next round following two easy wins and can afford a loss as, the worst they can finish in the group is second which an automatic berth.Bent Street needs a win to guarantee their place, although a draw might be enough to seal their berth. However they could still technically be eliminated if they suffer a significant loss, Broad Street wins handsomely and if results from the other groups go against them especially group-B who have the possibility of three teams finishing on six points.
The final match of the evening will pit losing finalist Sparta Boss against Tiger Bay at 23:15hrs. Tiger Bay needs only a draw to progress to the elimination round. However, a loss could be detrimental given that four teams from the other groups have the possibility to finish on four points, igniting a battle for the third place qualifier especially if Back Circle prevails over Agricola.
Sparta Boss needs a win to guarantee qualification as a draw or loss could be detrimental to their chances specifically the latter given that group-B and group-C possess several teams that could finish on either four or six points each for the critical third place qualifier. This scenario would also require a Back Circle win over Agricola.