Olyroos defender James Donachie has been added to the Roar squad as Brisbane looks to cover two key absences when they take on Sydney FC in a Hyundai A-League Round 25 match at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday (6.30pm KO).
Donachie along with Javier Hervas, Devante Clut and Shannon Brady were added today to an 18-man preliminary squad that is missing Roar captain and midfielder Matt McKay, who is on Socceroos duty, and defender Jack Hingert, who is serving a one-match suspension.
Saturday’s game will include an Easter egg give-away prior to kick off. To book tickets, click here
The 22-year-old Donachie has not played since the Roar’s 6-3 away loss to Perth Glory on 20 February.
That was the central defender’s fourth consecutive game after being kept out of the Starting XI by the superb early-season form of Daniel Bowles.
In the weeks following the Perth game, Donachie (below) battled soreness in his quad and knee and was not considered for selection but has trained strongly over the last week.
Bowles has done well again in the centre of defence alongside Jade North since taking over from Donachie and was moved to fullback last week when Hingert was shown the red card (second yellow) after a clumsy tackle on cagey Melbourne City star Bruno Fornaroli.
Starting Bowles at right back again is one selection option for Roar Head Coach John Aloisi which would require either Donachie or the experienced Shane Stefanutto to play central defender.
Stefanutto came off the bench to play central defender as the Roar re-shaped after the send-off last Friday night.
The Roar’s new signing Tommy Oar also has trained strongly this week, including some gruelling additional fitness work on Tuesday.
He got only seven minutes on the park last week but his efforts on the training track indicate he is ready to shoulder some more game minutes.
Spanish import Hervas (below) was left out of the 16 last weekend to allow for the inclusion of Oar but comes back in to the preliminary 18-man squad this week as a possible replacement, along with Steve Lustica or Clut, for McKay.
The third-placed Roar need to collect another three points at home to keep the pressure on leaders Western Sydney, who have a tough away fixture against Melbourne Victory.
The Roar has the best home record in the league – 10 wins and two draws in 13 matches. They have posted a 3-1 win and a scoreless draw in their previous two clashes against the Sky Blues.
Sydney FC have not posted a Hyundai A-League win since 16 January and are one game short of equalling the club’s record streak of 10 domestic games without a victory.Â
The Sydney FC 18-man squad today included Serbian midfielder Milos Ninkovic, who has been sidelined for a fortnight with an ankle injury.
• This weekend is the Hyundai A-League Harmony Day Round. The winners of Brisbane Roar’s inaugural Harmony Day Community Shield held last month – Brisbane All Stars – will be presented to the crowd prior to kick off on Saturday.
• TransLink advises that the Cleveland to Park Road rail service will be closed this weekend for track maintenance with buses replacing trains.
Roar fans who use this service to travel to Suncorp Stadium are advised to allow 60 minutes additional travel time. For further details go to http://translink.com.au/service-updates/69101
Hyundai A-League Round 25, Brisbane Roar FC v Sydney FC, Suncorp Stadium, Saturday, 26 March 2016. Kick-Off: 6:30 PM (Qld time)
Brisbane Roar FC squad: 1.Michael THEO (gk), 3.Shane STEFANUTTO, 5.Corey BROWN, 7.CORONA, 8.Steven LUSTICA, 9.Jamie MACLAREN, 10.HENRIQUE, 13.Jade NORTH, 14.Daniel BOWLES, 15.James DONACHIE, 16.Devante CLUT, 18.Javier HERVAS, 20.Shannon BRADY, 21.Jamie YOUNG (gk), 22.Thomas BROICH, 23.Dimitri PETRATOS, 24.Tommy OAR, 28.Brandon BORRELLO. **two to be omitted**
Ins: 15.James DONACHIE (promoted), 16.Devante CLUT (promoted), 18.Javier HERVAS (promoted), 20.Shannon BRADY (promoted)
Outs: 17.Matt McKAY (international duty – 1 week), 19.Jack HINGERT (suspended – 1 week)
Unavailable: Nil
Sydney FC squad: 1.Vedran JANJETOVIC (gk), 2.Seb RYALL, 4.Zac ANDERSON, 5.Matt JURMAN, 6.Rob STAMBOLZIEV, 8.Milos DIMITRIJEVIC, 9.Shane SMELTZ, 10.Milos NINKOVIC, 13.Brandon O’NEILL,17.David CARNEY, 18.Matt SIMON, 19.Jacques FATY, 20.Ivan NECEVSKI (gk), 21.Filip HOLOSKO, 22.Ali ABBAS, 23.Rhyan GRANT, 24.George BLACKWOOD, 27.Mickael TAVARES. **two to be omitted**
Ins: 5.Matt JURMAN (return from injury), 10.Milos NINKOVIC (return from injury)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 14.Alex BROSQUE (hamstring – indefinite)
Referee: Shaun Evans; Assistant Referee 1: David Walsh; Assistant Referee 2: Andrew Lindsay; Fourth Official: Alex King
TV: Live coverage on FOX SPORTS 505 from 6pm (Qld time) and Sky Sport 4 (New Zealand)
Radio: Online & via the ABC Radio Mobile App – A-league Live.
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tag #BRIvSYD
Â
