Brisbane Roar head south to face Western Sydney Wanderers with hopes of back-to-back victories in Round 15 of the Ninja A-League.
In what is sure to be an exciting match of football at Western Sydney Wanderers Football Park, Roar will be determined to continue their winning form to return to league dominance.
The Wanderers are winless in their last five matches and will put up a fight for three points on Sunday.
WHAT WAS SAID
Alex Smith is hoping his side’s 1-0 win over Wellington Phoenix can set them up for a strong run of performances to begin their push for finals.
“Hopefully this win can be a catalyst for us to really have a strong second half of the season and push for those finals spots and get as high as we can,” Smith said.
“We’re going down there with every intention of taking back three points, and I’m confident that if we stick to our intent, training has been fantastic this week so if we do that, we won’t have any problems, and we’ll come back with three points.”
Defender Chelsea Blissett has her eyes set on finals and is determined to return to dominating the competition, starting with the Wanderers this Sunday.
“We’re regrouping and we’re focusing on finals,” Blissett said.
“We want to push for that top two and keep in the top four to put us in the best position moving into finals.”
“They [Western Sydney] have a point to prove to themselves and they’re going to fight. I definitely don’t think we should take Wanderers lightly but I do think that if we go in confident and with that same grit and determination that we did on the weekend, we should be able to come away with the three points.”
LAST TIME WE MET
Brisbane Roar last faced Western Sydney in Unite Round that resulted in an incredible 4-0 victory at Jubilee Stadium.
After a foul on Tameka in the 16th minute, Momo Hayashi stepped up for the free kick and scored her first Ninja A-League goal with a deflection off Wanderers defence to open the scoring.
Just before the break, Evdokia Popadinova was fouled by Danika Matos which saw Hayashi secure a brace in added time with a stunning strike to the bottom right corner to make it 2-0.
Captain Tameka Yallop scored in her milestone game after a stunning goal from outside the box in the 66thminute made it 3-0.
Emily Pringle also scored her first goal of the season after cutting it back and finding the angle in front of goal to secure a 4-0 win for Brisbane Roar away from home.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Games: 19
Brisbane wins: 14
Western Sydney wins: 4
Draws: 1
TEAM NEWS
Brisbane Roar’s Ninja A-League squad has been locked in ahead of their Round 15 clash against Western Sydney Wanderers on Sunday night.
Roar can confirm the unfortunate news that Sharn Freier will miss the remainder of the 2024/25 season after sustaining an ankle injury in Round 13 against Perth Glory. The club wishes Sharn all the best with her recovery.
Defender Holly McQueen returns from suspension this week after missing Sunday’s clash from being shown a direct red card against Perth Glory.
16-year-old Isabela Hoyos will look for more valuable minutes after making her first start last weekend.
Brisbane Roar Ninja A-League Squad: 1. Keeley RICHARDS, 2. Leia VARLEY, 3. Deborah-Anne DE LA HARPE, 6. Holly MCQUEEN, 8. Mariel HECHER, 9. Danelle TAN, 10. Grace KUILAMU, 12. Tamar Levin 13. Tameka YALLOP, 14. Zara KRUGER, 16. Chelsea BLISSETT, 17. Evdokia POPADINOVA, 18. Emily PRINGLE, 19. Laini FREIER, 20. Tanaye MORRIS, 23. Isabella Hoyos 32. Alicia WOODS, 33. Olivia SEKANY
INS: 6. Holly MCQUEEN
OUTS: 99. Emma GIBBON
UNAVAILABLE: 4. Kijah STEPHENSON (ACL), 7. Momo HAYASHI (ankle), 11. Sharn FREIER (ankle), 22. Ruby CUTHBERT (hamstring)
MATCH DETAILS
Ninja A-League Women 2024/25 – Round 15: Western Sydney Wanderers v Brisbane Roar
Western Sydney Wanderers Football Park, Sydney
Sunday, 9 February
