Another big match up in the race for Isuzu UTE A-League finals football is in store when Brisbane Roar host Macarthur at Ballymore Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday’s Round 21 clash will be the Roar’s first ever A-League Men’s match at the 6,000 capacity Ballymore Stadium in Herston.
Roar are unbeaten in four under Ruben Zadkovich at home, including a 3-2 win over Melbourne Victory in their last game in Brisbane.
Zadkovich’s side, who have tasted defeat just once in their last six matches come into Saturday’s match off the back of a 1-1 draw on the road against Sydney FC last weekend.
With just six rounds remaining of the 2023/24 A-League regular season Roar sit eighth, just three points shy of the top six and able to move to within three points of fourth placed Macarthur with a win on Saturday.
The Bulls, who aim to reach the finals for the second time in their history look to bounce back this weekend after suffering a 3-0 defeat against league leaders, Central Coast Mariners last Sunday.
Saturday’s match will be a significant one for defensive duo Corey Brown and Kai Trewin who are in line to make their 150th and 100th Brisbane Roar A-League appearances respectively.
Brown becomes just the seventh player to reach 150 A-League Men’s matches for the Roar while Trewin is the first academy product to hit a century of appearances for the club.
WHAT WAS SAID
ALM R21 Press Conference: Ruben Zadkovich
ALM R21 Press Conference: Corey Brown
TEAM NEWS
Thomas Waddingham and Antonee Burke-Gilroy return to the squad and are back in contention after missing Sunday’s clash in Sydney with minor injuries suffered in training late last week.
Joe Caletti remains sidelined by an ankle injury that saw him miss last weekend’s Round 20 match.
Macarthur will be without Bernardo Oliveira after it was confirmed during the week that the youngster would miss the remainder of the 2023/24 A-League season after rupturing his achilles.
Brisbane Roar squad: 1. Macklin FREKE (GK), 3. Corey BROWN, 5. Tom ALDRED (C), 7. Florin BERENGUER, 8. Jonas MARKOVSKI, 10. Nikola MILEUSNIC, 11. Jez LOFTHOUSE, 12. Taras GOMULKA, 13. Henry HORE, 16. Thomas WADDINGHAM, 19. Jack HINGERT, 20. Marco ROJAS, 21. Antonee BURKE-GILROY, 23. Keegan JELACIC, 26. Jay O’SHEA, 27. Kai TREWIN, 29. Matt ACTON (GK), 32. James NIKOLOVSKI, 35. Louis ZABALA, 99. Ayom MAJOK
Ins: 16. Thomas WADDINGHAM (return from injury), 21. Antonee BURKE-GILROY (return from injury)
Outs: 6. Joe CALETTI (injured)
Unavailable: 2. Scott NEVILLE (injured), 6. Joe CALETTI (injured)
Macarthur FC squad: 1. Danijel NIZIC, 3. Tommy SMITH, 4. Matthew JURMAN, 6. Tomi USKOK, 8. Jake HOLLMAN, 7. Daniel DE SILVA 10. Ulises DAVILA, 12. Filip KURTO, 13. Ivan VUJICA, 15. Kearyn BACCUS, 17. RAPHAEL, 18. Walter SCOTT, 20. Kealey ADAMSON, 22. Yianni NICOLAOU, 23. Clayton LEWIS, 24. Charles M’MOMBWA, 31. Lachlan ROSE, 36. Ali AUGLAH, 37. Jed DREW, 98. Valere GERMAIN,
Ins: 18.Walter SCOTT (promoted)
Outs: 21. BERNARDO Oliveira (injured)
Unavailable: 2. Jake McGING (injured), 19. Jesper WEBBER (injured), 21. BERNARDO Oliveira (injured), 44. Matt MILLAR (injured)
LAST TIME WE MET
Macarthur ran out 3-1 winners over Roar when the pair went head-to-head at Suncorp Stadium in January with goals from Ulises Davila, Raphael Borges Rodrigues and Jed Drew cancelling out a Jonas Markovski strike.
Saturday’s match will be the third meeting between the sides this season with the pair having played out a 1-1 draw at Campbelltown Stadium back in Round One.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Played: 8
Brisbane Roar wins: 2
Macarthur wins: 4
Draws: 2
KEY STATS Brought to you by Opta:
– Brisbane Roar FC are undefeated in their last four A-League Men matches at home (W2 D2), outscoring their opposition 11-6 in that span.
– No team has earned more competition points against teams currently on the top half of the A-League Men ladder this season than Brisbane Roar FC (15), who have picked up four wins and three draws from their 13 such fixtures this season.
– Brisbane Roar FC have forced 9.9 high turnovers per game in the 2023/24 A-League Men campaign, the second-most of any team in the competition, while only the Wellington Phoenix (5.4) have forced fewer per game than Macarthur FC (6.3).
– Marco Rojas has been directly involved in five goals across his last six starts in the A- League Men (3 goals, 2 assist) and has scored one goal across his two career games against Macarthur FC.
MATCH DETAILS
Isuzu UTE A-League Men 2023/24 – Round 21: Brisbane Roar v Macarthur FC
Suncorp Stadium, Milton
Saturday, 16 March (3:00pm KO)
TICKETS
