Sometimes, there is justice in football.

The FFA has got the grand final it desperately wants and the match that the fans and the A-League deserves.

This Saturday night at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, the two best teams in the competition face off in a grand final for the first time. Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC present a difference in styles and philosophies that are as fundamentally divergent as the harbour and the sticky, brown Yarra River.

Sydney FC have always presented with the sort of brash swagger that plays well in Sin City. It is the club that sought out big name players like Dwight Yorke and Brazilian legend Juninho. It has had more coaches than the 5:15 City Rail service to Campbelltown. All in all, it's delivered the club just one grand final victory back in 2005-2006. A poor return on what was promised.

Melbourne Victory in contrast has been a model of stability and consistency, and unsurprisingly that has made them the benchmark of the competition both on and off the park. If anything sums up the reward for staying the course it was the sight of inaugural marquee man, Archie Thompson, and the club's only ever captain Kevin Muscat, combining for the smash-and-grab goal that gave Victory hosting rights for the decider.

The other party to Victory's triumvirate is coach Ernie Merrick. Another Victory original, Merrick's skill in balancing a squad rife with injury, over-burdened with fixtures and suffering the odd suspension at the pointy end of the season was masterful. If his team wins on Saturday night, the 'gaffer' will be assured legend status at Victory.

Sydney boss Vitezslav Lavicka had his own claim for coach-of-the-year status, and he will need to bring all that to bear on Saturday night. Like Merrick, he's a calm presence amidst the madness of finals football and he'll have thought long and hard about how to grab the initiative on Saturday night.

Before the defeat in the two legged major semi-final, Sydney FC was unbeaten in its three other encounters with Victory in season 2009-2010. In fact, Nik Mrdja's opening goal in the first leg of the semi was the first time Victory had scored against the Sky Blues all season.

If Sydney needs a blueprint on how to take the fight to Victory it need look no further than its first visit to Etihad in Round 10. In a blistering display that night, Sydney FC scored three goals in five minutes as Mark Bridge, Alex Brosque in conjunction with Shannon Cole rampaged down both wings, putting in deadly crosses that left a usually unflappable Victory defence bereft.

Lavicka will need these three to reproduce the same intensity and ambition on Saturday night for Sydney FC to have a shot at the title. If the visitors sit back hoping for a chance to play on the counter he knows they will be inviting trouble.

Victory will be hoping that Johnny Warren Medallist, Carlos Hernandez, has saved something for the big dance. The Costa Rican is unstoppable when he's in the mood. His vision on the ball makes him the midfield king pin when Victory go forward. He's so strong over the football that if Sydney allow it to be played in to his feet they'll be writing their own obituary. Stuart Musialick has had been given the job on Hernandez in recent fixtures and more than held his own. His coach will be hoping he has one more big performance to give.

And then there is Muscat and Thompson.

The two veterans' bring experience and quality to the table that Merrick knows he can bank. In big games, this is an invaluable resource as Sydney learnt to their cost last time out. Thompson's predatory instincts haven't deserted him and his five-goal haul in the 2006-2007 grand final demolition of Adelaide proved that he lives for these moments.

Kevin Muscat can impose his will on the game like no other player in the league. There's a reason why, at 36, Muscat was named by his peers as the PFA's captain in its team of the year. His presence intimidates and irritates his opponents and give great strength and confidence to his team mates. And whilst he gets tagged as an enforcer, Muscat remains without peer in delivering piercing passes from the back that open it up for business at the other end.

Sadly for Sydney, its two wise old warriors, Steve Corica and John Aloisi, are both out with injury. Battle hardened professionals like those two are irreplaceable on grand final day.

And it might just be what separates the men from the boys Saturday night.

My tip: Melbourne 2, Sydney 1.