Aside from the grand final, there's no bigger A-League fixture than the preliminary final (as it was for the first seven seasons of the league's existence) and the semi-finals.

In the league's earlier days there was a one-off preliminary final, which determined which side would go through to meet the winner of the major semi-final in the title decider the following week.

Logic would suggest that the team that lost this game (and therefore would ultimately be classified third for the season) was probably close to the mark required to make a good fist of a championship challenge the following year.

But history doesn't always bear that out.

Yes, three defeated preliminary final or semi-final teams - Newcastle in 2006-07, Central Coast 20011-12 and Brisbane in 2012-13 - have gone on to take the title the following year while Adelaide (beaten in the inaugural preliminary final in 2005-06) went on to make the grand final in 2006-07, where they lost heavily to Melbourne Victory.

But while several others have gone close, they have not made the championship-deciding game the following year and a couple (Brisbane in season 2008-09 and the now defunct Gold Coast in 2010-11) went on the next year to finish out of the finals completely.

Melbourne Victory, who host Melbourne City on Friday night, is clearly knocking at the door. Under Ange Postecoglou they lost to eventual champions Central Coast in the 2012-13 season and, with current coach Kevin Muscat at the helm, to winners Brisbane in 2013-14.

Melbourne City will happily take that as an augury if they manage to overcome the odds and see off Victory at Etihad on Friday night.

For Victory, another defeat at the penultimate hurdle would surely be very hard to take. Having come so close in the past two seasons, Muscat's men will be desperate to go one step further.

Many players regard the pain of semi-final defeat worse than the disappointment of loss in a grand final: after all, in the latter game, they have at least made it to the biggest game of the season.

Victory may take some consolation from the fact that their two most recent finals losses were away from home, in Gosford and in Brisbane. City have only ever played two finals matches, a loss in Perth in season 2011-12 and last Sunday's win in Wellington, so will be glad just to be playing in front of their own fans.