It will be a weekend of Brisbane Roar with matches across Saturday and Sunday for the Isuzu UTE A-League and Liberty A-League squads.
With family passes currently $40 for a family of four across the league, just one ticket will get you access to both matches.
READ MORE: A WEEKEND OF BRISBANE ROAR
Find out below how each team is shaping up for this weekend’s clashes.
Isuzu UTE A-League
Brisbane Roar will be looking to bounce back against the Wellington Phoenix on Saturday afternoon at Kayo Stadium.
After suffering just their second loss of the Isuzu UTE A-League 2022/23 season to Perth Glory on Tuesday night, head coach Warren Moon said the squad showed a lot of character and resilience, but it was the slow start that caught them out.
“I was proud of the boys, the way they stuck at it and stayed in it. We had a couple of chances there to maybe pinch something,” he said.
“Proud of the effort, disappointed to come away with nothing but the slow start cost us.”
Having spent the last three matches on the road, the team are excited to be back playing in front of their home fans.
It could also be a special occasion for defender Jack Hingert. who is set to make his 250th Isuzu UTE A-League appearance.
“It’s been a tough road trip, a disappointing result to finish off and things didn’t go our way on the night but on the whole, we’ve had a pretty decent last three games,” Moon said.
“We’re just glad to be home in front of our fans and put on a good performance,” he added.
The Phoenix will come into the match after a 1-0 win over Sydney FC, where the Sky Blues were awarded two late penalties but were unable to convert.
However, it was a bittersweet win for the New Zealand side with leading goal-scorer Bozhidar Kraev shown a red card, ruling him out of this weekend’s match.
Fellow teammate Nicholas Pennington will also miss the match through suspension after being shown a straight red card.
While the Roar will be boosted by the return of captain Tom Aldred after being side-lined with an injury, they will be without talisman Jay O’Shea following his red card against Glory.
The Irishman has created 15 scoring chances from set plays this season, three times as many as any Wellington Phoenix player.
While O’Shea is a huge loss to the team, it offers the chance for Rahmat Akbari to come in and put his best foot forward.
“We just need to plan to not have him and have Rahmat [Akbari] who will come in to hopefully do a good job and offer something different but at the same time give us an opportunity to get the three points,” Moon said.
Catch all the action between Brisbane Roar and Wellington Phoenix live on Paramount+.
Liberty A-League
Brisbane Roar’s Liberty A-League head coach Garrath McPherson said the side is refreshed and ready to go ahead of their clash with Adelaide United on Sunday afternoon.
Following a 4-1 loss to Sydney FC in their last match, the squad went into their bye week looking to us their bye week as a time to refresh.
Reflecting on the loss, McPherson said the side was able to take a number of positives from the match – something they’ve been focussing on in the past fortnight.
“The team in general as part of the review and conversation post-match we’re still quite positive about the chances we created and possession against Sydney,” he said.
“It came down to some individual errors that led to goals and a team like Sydney with the strike force they have are going to make you pay.
“Our goal is to reduce those errors and if we continue the hard work of what we’re doing in possession, we’ll keep creating chances and scoring goals,” McPherson added.
Goalkeeper Hensley Hancuff is set to make her return after missing the New Year’s Eve clash with an injury while the mid-week signing of New Zealand attacker Indiah-Paige Riley will boost the forward pack in the final third.
Their opponents Adelaide are just two points ahead of the Roar on the ladder.
The South Australian side had a 3-0 in their Wednesday night clash with Melbourne City, leaving them without a win since 17 December when they beat Wellington Phoenix 1-0.
That was also the last time The Reds hit the back of the net.
“We feel they’ll try to take our midfield out of the game, and that’s what we’re finding more opponents are doing,” McPherson said.
“Similar to Sydney, they have two to three handy strikers up front, so we need to be set up structurally and have a clear plan for our defence.”
Catch all the action between Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United live on Paramount+ and 10Play.
MATCH DETAILS
Isuzu UTE A-League
Brisbane Roar v Wellington Phoenix
Saturday 14 January
Kayo Stadium
Kick off 4pm AEST
Liberty A-League
Brisbane Roar v Adelaide United
Sunday 15 January
A.J. Kelly Park
Kick off 3:00pm AEST
