Canadian Premier League Finals, and the league’s playoffs in general, have historically proven to be a pretty bad time to bet against Forge FC.

On Saturday, at ATCO Field in Calgary, they will contest their sixth final in the league’s six seasons. They’ve lost just once in that time, and bested their opponent in the 2024 final, Cavalry, in both last year’s final and the league’s inaugural edition back in 2019.

Forge saw their undefeated record against Cavalry in the postseason come to an end after a 1-0 loss at Tim Hortons Field during the qualifying semi-final on Oct. 27. However, they rebounded with a 1-0 victory over Atlético Ottawa to book their ticket to Calgary, and place in a sixth straight CPL Final.

Here are three reasons why Forge could lift the North Star Cup on Saturday — and add a fifth playoff trophy to their cabinet.

RELATED: MATCH PREVIEW: Cavalry FC vs. Forge FC — 2024 CPL Final

1. Unmatched experience in knockout situations

When Forge FC step onto the pitch for the 2024 CPL Final at ATCO Field, it will be their 51st knockout fixture in the club’s six-year history between CPL Playoff matches, Concacaf competition and the Canadian Championship.

That is a level of experience that is unmatched by any club in Canada during that timeframe, not their opponents on Saturday, nor anyone else including three-time defending Canadian Champions the Vancouver Whitecaps. Cavalry FC, for comparison, will play their 30th during the 2024 CPL Final.

This will always be a huge advantage over any opponent they play, as they are about as comfortable under these high-pressure situations as any club can possibly be. They’ve pretty much seen it all in knockout games over the years, so when circumstances and details change in matches, their ability to adapt has been foundational to their incredible success.

Three players in their squad have played in all five previous CPL Finals, Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson, David Choinière and Dom Samuel. Kyle Bekker and Tristan Borges, meanwhile, have appeared in four. This group of key leaders has and continues to set the standard each season.

“We’ve done it in all different ways,” said Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis of how his side achieved their four previous CPL Final victories. “Away from home, at home, on an island for 45 days, we’ve done it in different ways.”

2. Ability to see out matches

Another critical reason that Forge won the regular season this year in the Canadian Premier League, and have reached the Final once again, has been their ability to take, extend and hold leads.

Forge went undefeated (17 wins, 2 draws) in all competitions this season when they scored first, showing just how dominant they have been when they can take the lead in matches. In fact, they’ve only ever lost once in a match where they led — earlier this season against Atlético Ottawa.

The Hamilton club are also outstanding at breaking down teams who are pushing to equalize in matches. After scoring first, they scored a second goal to go up 2-0 13 times this season, and only failed to score at least one more goal after scoring first three times. They won two of those three matches by a score of 1-0.

Historically, Forge has been excellent at holding leads against Cavalry as well, winning 11 of the 14 all-time matches in which they have scored first against Cavalry. They have lost just once after scoring first, in the second leg of the 2019 Canadian Championship second qualifying round.

Scoring first against Cavalry has, admittedly, been a bit of an issue for Forge recently, as they have done so just once in their past six meetings — and they’ve still only lost twice. But if they do score first on Saturday their odds of winning a fifth final significantly improve.

3. Daniel Parra’s return to the lineup 

Forge haven’t quite looked themselves since the calendar turned to October, and a big part of that is the number of key players who have been missing in recent weeks.

One significant name expected to return to their starting lineup for Saturday’s final is Daniel Parra, who missed the past three matches with a suspension following a violent conduct incident against Atlético Ottawa on Oct. 12.

The Mexican fullback, on loan this season from Liga MX club Monterrey has proven to be one of the most indispensable members of the Forge team this season. His dynamic movement and understanding of the game completely transform the way they are able to play, especially in attack where he is excellent at inverting centrally and making runs and passes through those channels to open up space for himself and others.

He finished third in the league in dribbles completed, with 41 and fourth in touches in 1904, with only Forge’s Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson getting on the ball more among players on the Hamilton club.

What sort of fitness level the fullback will be in after not playing for a month remains to be seen, but he has the potential to be a game-changer for Forge. But if he is anywhere near the level that he played at when he was at his best in 2024, his return to the lineup will be a huge boost for Forge.

The 2024 Canadian Premier League Final between Cavalry FC and Forge FC will be played Saturday, Nov. 9 at ATCO Field, kicking off at 1 p.m. MT/3 p.m. ET. Watch the match live on CBC or OneSoccer.