Brisbane are set to return to their insurmountable best when they take on Sydney at Suncorp this weekend, with star internationals Thomas Broich and Henrique both set to make long-awaited return to Hyundai A-League action.
Brisbane are set to return to their insurmountable best when they take on Sydney at Suncorp this weekend, with star internationals Thomas Broich and Henrique both set to make long-awaited return to Hyundai A-League action.
Broich’s return from an eight-game lay-off with a heel injury will be music to the ears of Roar fans, who have seen their side come crashing back to reality, taking just one win during the recovery hiatus of one of the competition’s most potent attacking weapon.
But while the Roar have their German maestro and Brazilian livewire back on the pitch, Albanian goal-shark Besart Berisha remains in serious doubt, leaving coach Ange Postecoglou with an unconfirmed line-up on the eve of the clash with the Sky Blues.
“(Berisha) is still quite optimistic, but we’ll see. He’ll probably do the warm up tomorrow and we’ll go from there. We’ll probably play without him but if he comes up that’ll be good,” Postecoglou said.
“We’re unlikely to start both (Henrique and Broich), so maybe one of the two. It’ll depend on how (Berisha) is going, as to who we’ll start, but neither of them are really ready for 90 minutes, so we maybe we’ll alternate both of them.”
“At training this week, it’s been really positive and bright. They add a little bit extra and something different to what we do, and it’s great to have them back, not just for them, but it gives the other players a boost as well.”
Despite the cloud hovering over the A-League’s leading goalscorer, the confidence in the reigning champions’ camp has elevated.
Postecoglou admitted having the pair return would give an injection of creativity and goalmouth flair. And that just may be enough for Roar to return to their winning ways, with net-finders the only part missing through a slump in which they have still dominated field position and possession.
“It’s been a good week of training and I think for the first time since they’ve been injured that they’re really comfortable,” he said.
“It’s handy, because that front half is where we’ve been hit the hardest, and now we’ve got some options and depth.”
“We’ve got to play well. We played well last week. I’ve been happy with the last few games; apart from the Perth game, we’ve done really well. We won our last home game 3-1, and the key to that is playing well.”
“I’d be surprised if the players were thinking that we need to change or stop what we’re doing because two or three players have come back; it just adds to what we can do and allows us to have a few more options up front, which is probably the area we’ve struggled the most.”
Postecoglou also dismissed fears over the fitness of gun Olyroo Mitch Nichols, who made an early exit in Brisbane’s most recent clash. Impact attacker James Meyer was also declared to be on the cusp of availability.
