Brisbane Roar will be looking to round out 2019 on a high with the Club’s final Hyundai A-League game of the calendar year in Newcastle on Saturday night.
The Roar head south for a season’s first meeting against the Jets who come into the contest on the back of two poor results, including a 6-2 thumping in Perth last round.
Former Jet Scott Neville says the Roar are wary of a wounded Newcastle side but trust in their ability to get the job done on the road regardless.
“They’ve had two tough results – we’ve done a bit of analysis on them & we know they’ll be coming out strong so we need to make sure we match that & then hopefully our football can overcome them,” Neville said.
“We’ve been dominating games, creating a lot of chances but it’s probably just that finishing in the final third, and vice-versa for the one chance down the other end as well.”
Saturday’s fixture is the first of two within four days for the Roar – an opportunity to build momentum heading into the new year.
“It’s a great time of the year, if we get on a bit of a roll it can really catapult us up the ladder & that’s what we’ll be looking to do,” Neville continued.
Head Coach Robbie Fowler mirrored his defender’s sentiment of being wary of the Jets returning to their home turf, but is acutely focused on how his side can get the better of Ernie Merrick’s men.
“We’ll focus on ourselves and just do what we need to do to win the game,” Fowler said.
“Every game is winnable in this league. We have had a tough start in terms of results, but we’re not a million miles away with our performances.
“There comes a point in the season where you can’t fall too far adrift & we go to a Newcastle team on the back of two poor results from them
“Ernie Merrick is a tremendous manager who has achieved plenty in the Hyundai A-League. We know that he’ll have his team set-up right & they need the right result against us too.”
MATCH DETAILS
Hyundai A-League 2019/20 Round 12: Newcastle Jets v Brisbane Roar
McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
Saturday, 28 December (6:30pm KO QLD time)
Newcastle Jets squad: 1.Glen MOSS (gk), 2.Bobby BURNS, 3.Jason HOFFMAN, 4.Nigel BOOGAARD (c), 5.Ben KANTAROVSKI, 6.Steven UGARKOVIC, 10.Dimi PETRATOS, 11.Nick FITZGERALD, 14.Kaine SHEPPARD, 16.Matt MILLAR, 18.Johnny KOUTROUMBIS, 19.Kosta PETRATOS, 20.Lewis ITALIANO (gk), 22.Lachlan JACKSON, 23.Matt RIDENTON, 25.Jack SIMMONS, 28.Pat LANGLOIS, 32.Angus THURGATE, 44.Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY **1-3 to be omitted**
Ins: 4.Nigel BOOGAARD (promoted), 14.Kaine SHEPPARD (promoted), 25.Jack SIMMONS (promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 8.Wes HOOLAHAN (ankle – indefinite), 9.Abdiel ARROYO (hamstring – 3-5 weeks)
Brisbane Roar FC squad: 1.Max CROCOMBE (gk), 2.Scott NEVILLE, 4.Daniel BOWLES, 5.Tom ALDRED (c), 6.Macaulay GILLESPHEY, 7.Jai INGHAM, 8.Jacob PEPPER, 9.Roy O’DONOVAN, 10.Bradden INMAN, 12.Aiden O’NEILL, 13.Stefan MAUK, 14.George MELLS, 20.Aaron AMADI-HOLLOWAY, 21.Jamie YOUNG (gk), 23.Dylan WENZEL-HALLS, 25.Rahmat AKBARI, 26.Jay O’SHEA, 28.Izaack POWELL, 27.Kai TREWIN, 29.Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS **2-4 to be omitted**
Ins: 14.George MELLS (promoted), 27.Kai TREWIN (promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: Nil
Referee: Alireza Faghani
Assistant Referee 1: Ryan Gallagher
Assistant Referee 2: James Cleal
Fourth Official: Stephen Laurie
VAR: Kris Griffiths-Jones
TV Broadcast: Live coverage on FOX SPORTS 505 from 7:00pm (AEDT) and Sky Sport 7 (New Zealand), Kayo Sports (www.kayosports.com.au) and MyFootball Live App, Live Fast and Data Free for Telstra mobile customers
Radio Broadcast: 1233 Newcastle, Grandstand Digital and online
