Brisbane Roar will make a trip to the West to take on second-placed Perth Glory this Saturday night at Macedonia Park in Round 13 of the Liberty A-League.
The squad will be looking to bounce back from a narrow 2-1 loss against Newcastle Jets last weekend in Unite Round.
Just one spot from first-place, Perth Glory will no doubt be asserting dominance at their own Macedonia Park, but Roar will be up for a big three points away from home.
WHAT WAS SAID
After a disappointing performance in Unite Round, Head Coach Alex Smith said it is a work in progress and he’s pleased with how his squad is improving ahead of Perth this Saturday.
“It’s a work in progress, every week we’re improving, we’re working really hard on the pitch. It’s another big away trip this weekend to Perth. I’m still confident that if we show up on the day and put a few things together, we’ll give them problems and hopefully come away with something from the game,” Smith said.
Smith has strong belief that his squad can put together a full performance when they face the second-placed side, and said they are going there full of optimism.
“They’ve got quite a few attacking players and they’ve obviously started the season well. They’re obviously on a little bit of a roll within the season but I think we can give them problems.”
“We need to be aware of them as well but if we show up and play our best football, there’s no reason why we can’t win the game. We’re going there with that attitude, we’ll see what happens, we’ll deal with the travel as best we can and the late kick off and all that sort of stuff, nothing but optimism heading into the game.”
LAST TIME WE MET
The last time these teams met was in the last round of the 2022/23 Liberty A-League season that saw Perth take the three points in a 1-0 victory over Roar at Perry Park.
Gabriella Coleman was the one to score in the 72nd minute, enough to seal a win to top off a season that saw Glory finish in sixth place.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Games: 14
Brisbane win: 4
Perth win: 8
Draw: 2
KEY STATS – brought to you by Opta
- Perth Glory have won their last four A-League Women matches against Brisbane Roar FC, the longest winning run by either team in the history of this fixture; the Glory have kept a clean sheet across their last three meetings in that span.
- Brisbane Roar FC have won only one of their last 10 A-League Women matches (D4 L5) – a 2-1 win against the Wellington Phoenix (7 January 2024); the Roar have scored at least one goal in nine of their 10 games in that span.
- Brisbane Roar FC have scored 53% of their total goals from left-footed shots (8/15) in the 2023/24 A-League Women season, the highest rate of any team in the competition; in fact, the Roar (1) have also conceded the fewest left-footed goals of any team in the campaign.
- Millie Farrow (Perth Glory) has scored six big scoring chances in the 2023/24 A-League Women season, the joint-most of any player in the competition (also Vesna Milivojevic – 6 for Canberra United).
- Mia Corbin (Brisbane Roar FC) has scored three goals across her last two A-League Women matches outside Queensland; though, this is set to be her first meeting against Perth Glory in the competition.
INS AND OUTS
1. Keeley RICHARDS 2. Rebecca KIRKUP 3. Deborah-Anne DE LA HARPE 4. Kijah STEPHENSON 5. Jenna MCCORMICK 6. Holly MCQUEEN 7. Ayesha NORRIE (C) 8. Mariel HECHER 9. Mia CORBIN 11. Sharn FREIER 12. Tamar LEVIN 13. Tameka YALLOP 14. Sarah O’DONOGHUE 18. Teagan THOMPSON 19. Hollie PALMER 20. Bonnie DAVIES 21. Isabella SHUTTLEWORTH 2. Ruby CUTHBERT 29. Jordan SILKOWITZ (GK) 32. Alicia WOODS
INS: 21. Isabella SHUTTLEWORTH
OUTS: 17. Leah SCARPELLI
UNAVAILABLE: 10. Grace KUILAMU 15. Hannah HOLGERSEN 16. Chelsea BLISSETT 23. Ashlee BRODIGAN
MATCH DETAILS
Liberty A-League Women 2023/24 – Round 13: Perth Glory vs Brisbane Roar
Macedonia Park, Perth
Saturday, 20 January (9:30pm KO)
