Bringing three points back to Queensland will be the sole focus when Brisbane Roar visit Macarthur FC for the first time on Friday night.
Warren Moon’s men boast a strong recent record in New South Wales, having lost just once there in seven games, and will look to continue that trend at Campbelltown Stadium.
And after back-to-back A-League draws against Wellington Phoenix and Western Sydney Wanderers, the Head Coach has his eyes on only one result going into the Matchweek 16 fixture.
“We’ll go there with a game plan, with an idea to win the game, and that’s our sole intention,” Moon said on Thursday.
“We want to make Finals, we want to play Finals, and at some point we need to start winning games, turn these draws into wins.
“But there’s still time. The A-League can turn quickly. Even if it doesn’t happen in the next couple, there’s still time. That’s the belief we have.
“Certainly our focus is about this weekend and going to get three points against Macarthur.”
💬 Head Coach Warren Moon spoke to the media ahead of Friday night's @ALeague game against @mfcbulls.#ALeague #ForTheCrest pic.twitter.com/SpkLAKfDbP
— Brisbane Roar FC (@brisbaneroar) April 8, 2021
Roar captain Tom Aldred travelled south with the team after overcoming a minor problem that kept him out of last weekend’s clash with the Wanderers, while Macaulay Gillesphey is available again following a one-match suspension.
Moon welcomed the inclusions and praised the defensive depth within the squad.
“Absolutely [it’s good news], and obviously Scott Neville is in contention to start now as well, so things are looking quite good for us at the moment,” he said.
“But what we learned from last week is that we have two very capable replacements in Jordan [Courtney-Perkins] and Kai [Trewin], who did very well.”
TICKETS: Don’t miss the Roar’s big Anzac Day game against Perth Glory!
Friday’s opponents Macarthur enter the match in third position after recording three straight victories over Western United, Wellington and Perth Glory.
Moon described the Bulls as a good side and challenged his players to step up against a team that has recorded consecutive clean sheets.
“Every game is tough in the A-League,” he said. “We’re finding that out at the moment, we’re going through our patch, but it has to turn around for us at some point.
“Someone needs to step up and take that responsibility, be that goalscorer, that difference-maker and that’s what we’re looking for.”
MATCH DETAILS
A-League 2020/21 Matchweek 16: Macarthur FC vs Brisbane Roar
Campbelltown Stadium, Campbelltown
Friday, 9 April (7:05pm kick-off)
Macarthur FC squad: 1.Adam FEDERICI (gk), 3.Antony GOLEC, 4.Benat ETXEBARRIA, 5.Mark MILLIGAN (c), 6.Aleksandar JOVANOVIC, , 8.Denis GENREAU, 9.Milislav POPOVIC, 10.Loic PUYO, 11.Tommy OAR, 12.James MEREDITH, 15.Aleksandar SUSNJAR, 16. Nick SUMAN (gk),19, Michael RUHS 21.Jake HOLLMAN, 22.Liam ROSE, 24.Charles M’MOMBWA, 27.Matt DERBYSHIRE, 29.Antonis MARTIS, 31.Lachlan ROSE, 33.Markel SUSAETA **2-4 to be omitted**
Ins: 19. Michael RUHS (promoted), 22.Liam ROSE (promoted), 24. Charles M’MOMBWA (promoted)
Outs: 7.Ivan FRANJIC (injury)
Unavailable: Nil
Brisbane Roar FC squad: 1.Macklin FREKE (gk), 2. Scott NEVILLE, 3.Corey BROWN, 5.Tom ALDRED (c), 6.Macaulay GILLESPHEY, 8.Danny KIM, 9.Masato KUDO, 10.Riku DANZAKI, 11.Joe CHAMPNESS, 15.Jesse DALEY, 16.Joshua BRINDELL-SOUTH, 17.Golgol MEBRAHTU, 21.Jamie YOUNG (gk), 23.Dylan WENZEL-HALLS, 25.Rahmat AKBARI, 26.Jay O’SHEA, 27.Kai TREWIN, 29.Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS, 34.Alex PARSONS, 77.Scott MCDONALD **2-4 to be omitted**
Ins: 5.Tom ALDRED (c) (return from injury), 6.Macaulay GILLESPHEY (return from suspension), 34.Alex PARSONS (promoted)
Outs: 19.Jack HINGERT (knee)
Unavailable: Nil
Referee: Alireza Faghani
Assistant Referee 1: Andrej Giev
Assistant Referee 2: Brad Wright
Fourth Official: Stephen Lucas
VAR: Shaun Evans
TV Broadcast: Live coverage on FOX SPORTS 506 from 7:00pm (AEST), Sky Sport 7 (New Zealand), Kayo Sports (www.kayosports.com.au) and MyFootball Live App, Live Fast and Data Free for Telstra mobile customers
