Two sides desperate for points meet at Hunter Stadium. Will Glory’s dominance of Newcastle continue or will the goals continue to flow for the Jets after last week’s drought-breaking win?
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MATCH DETAILS
Sunday, 24 January 2016
Newcastle Jets v Perth Glory
Hunter Stadium, Newcastle
Kick-Off: 5:00 PM (Local) (5:00 PM (AEDT))
Referee: Shaun Evans
Assistant Referee 1: Ryan Gallagher
Assistant Referee 2: James Tesoriero
Fourth Official: Ben Williams
TV Broadcast: Live coverage on FOX SPORTS 505 from 5.00pm (AEDT) and Sky Sport 3 (New Zealand)
Radio Broadcast: 1233 ABC Newcastle, 720 ABC Perth, ABC Local Radio WA, Grandstand Digital, Online & via the ABC Radio Mobile App – A-league Live.
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tag #NEWvPER
To purchase tickets visit www.aleague.com.au/tickets
Newcastle Jets squad: 1.Mark BIRIGHITTI (Gk), 2.Daniel MULLEN, 3.Jason HOFFMAN, 4.Nigel BOOGAARD (c), 6.Cameron WATSON, 7.Enver ALIVODIC, 8.Mateo POLJAK, 9.Milos TRIFUNOVIC, 10.LEONARDO, 14.Mitch COOPER, 16.Steven UGARKOVIĆ, 17.Radovan PAVICEVIC, 20.Ben KENNEDY (Gk), 22.Lachlan JACKSON, 23.David CARNEY, 24.Nicholas COWBURN, 27.Braedyn CROWLEY, 28.Ryan KITTO
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 16.Steven UGARKOVIĆ (returms from Olyroos duty), 17.Radovan PAVICEVIC (promoted), 27.Braedyn CROWLEY (promoted)
Outs: 5.Ben KANTAROVSKI (suspended – 1 match)
Unavailable: 11.Labinot HALITI (knee – season)
Perth Glory squad: 1.Ante COVIC (gk), 2.Alex GRANT, 3.Marc WARREN, 7.Gyorgy SANDOR, 9.Andy KEOGH, 10.Nebojsa MARINKOVIC, 11.Richard GARCIA (c), 12.Jerrad TYSON (gk), 13.Diogo FERREIRA, 14.Chris HAROLD, 15.Hagi GLIGOR, 17.Diego CASTRO, 18.Mitch OXBORROW, 19.Josh RISDON, 21.Kosta PETRATOS, 24.Jamal REINERS, 29.Aryn WILLIAMS, 31.Ross MILLARD
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 2.Alex GRANT (returns from suspension) 21.Kosta PETRATOS (new signing), 31.Ross MILLARD (promoted)
Outs: 25.Jacob COLLARD (suspended)
Unavailable: 6.Dino DJULBIC (UPDATED: 4-6 weeks), 8.Ruben ZADKOVICH (knee – indefinite) 23.Michael THWAITE (knee 1-week)
BLUFFER’S GUIDE
Before last weekend, a huge cloud was building around Newcastle, whose season was in free-fall amid doubts about where their next goal would come from.
It wasn’t pretty.
Fast-forward a week and following a 3-1 win over Wellington all of a sudden there’s renewed optimism in the Hunter.
There’s no doubt the mood at training this week will have been a whole lot better. Can they take that into the battle with Glory and now build some momentum?
If that’s what Scott Miller is hoping, perhaps Perth are not the ideal opponents.
Against the boys from the west, the Jets are without a win in their last 11 games – which includes five straight defeats.
But the home side might not get a better chance to turn the tables.
Injury and the added distraction of squad changes has left Glory a little vulnerable, especially at the back.
Coach Kenny Lowe has put his faith in the emerging young talent to fill the void and – for the most part – they haven’t let him down.
But consistency is always an issue with young players. It will be up to the old heads of Richie Garcia, Andy Keogh, Gyorgy Sandor and Diego Castro to lead from the front if Glory is to continue their Newcastle dominance.
This should be a real tight tussle on Sunday with a victory paramount for both sides if they are serious about pushing for a top-six berth.
OPTA DATA
– Newcastle has conceded only two goals in their last three Hyundai A-League matches on home soil.
– Perth Glory is undefeated in their last 11 Hyundai A-League matches against Newcastle Jets, including a current run of five consecutive wins.
– The Jets last start 3-1 win over Wellington was the first time they’d won a match by more than one goal since the final round of the 2013/14 Hyundai A-League season.
– Glory is yet to win away from home this Hyundai A-League season (D1 L6), despite conceding no more than one goal in four of those fixtures.
ROUTE TO GOAL
What a relief for the Jets!
After more than six games – and 566 minutes – they finally ended their goal drought in the win over Phoenix last time out.
Trifunovic’s early penalty ensured Newcastle avoided setting an A-League record for longest time without a goal. With that now behind them, the Jets can now look forward with a more buoyant mind frame.
Miller switched to a 4-4-2 formation last weekend, pushing Carney up front and it worked a treat.
The ex-Socceroo was able to find the spaces in between the lines and not burdened by any defensive duties, was a real focal point to the Jets attack.
That in turn saw the likes of Trifunovic, Alivodic and Kitto more involved in the front third, which automatically gives the Hunter club more options in front of goal.
And they should relish getting at an inexperienced Glory defence in this one. It will also be interesting to see how Miller uses new signing Olyroo Steven Ugarković – who has been included in an extended squad.
For Glory, they definitely look a more threatening outfit since Keogh’s arrival.
While the Irishman has yet to find the net, his presence has given the likes of Castro and Harold a fraction more time and space.
It will be intriguing to see how the Jets defence deal with the power and work-rate of Keogh as well as the class and know-how of Castro. Keogh is rediscovering his form while the Spaniard is cooking.
WHO’S BEEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT THIS WEEK?
Glory’s young and inexperienced backline. With a host of experienced defenders on the sidelines or heading out of the club, Kenny Lowe has to rely on his youngsters – like recently re-signed Aryn Williams – to fill the breach in defence. Can they cope with a Jets side that looks to have solved their woes in front of goal?
FORM LINES
Jets: DLLLW
Glory: DDLLD
PREDICTION
Newcastle Jets 2-1 Perth Glory
