Brett Holman will have a final fitness test on Friday morning, with Brisbane Roar boss John Aloisi conceding his start playmaker is “50-50” to face Melbourne City in the Hyundai A-League Elimination Final.
The ex-Caltex Socceroos is racing the clock for the clash at AAMI Park after injuring his knee in last weekend’s win over Perth Glory.
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Holman tested out his knee at Roar’s final training session on Thursday, with the Roar boss admitting it would be “touch and go” for the 34-year-old to line-up against City.
“It’s a tough one. The good thing is not serious but we don’t want it to end up being something serious,” Aloisi told reporters at Brisbane airport on Thursday.
“It’s touch and go to see if he will be up for it. We’ll give him every possible chance.
“If he’s ok to play he’ll probably start on the bench and come on to try and make an impact. If he’s not someone else will step up and do the job.”
Holman’s availability would be a huge boost for Roar, who face a huge task to try and stay alive against a City side who have lost just one of their last five matches.
That’s not to say Brisbane aren’t in decent touch themselves, having won seven of their last 11 games to sneak into the top six.
“Brisbane Roar love finals football. We’ve shown over the last 11 weeks that when the pressure has been on, our boys seem to lift,” Aloisi said.
“They never give up and have a never-say-die attitude,. We’re going down there [to Melbourne] believing we can win and that’s what we’ll try to do.
“If we play the way we know how to play and the way we did last week, we’re confident we can get the win.”
Part of Aloisi’s confidence comes from the massive experience he has right throughout his squad.
The likes of Massimo Maccarone, Matt McKay, Thomas Kristensen, Eric Bautheac, Fahid Ben Khalfallah, Henrique and Ivan Franjic have had success both in the Hyundai A-League and abroad.
Criticised earlier in the campaign over the age of his squad, Aloisi now feels it’s that knowledge that might work in his side’s favour now.
“In the big games it’s the big players that are the ones that usually step up, the ones with the experience,” the Roar boss said.
“If you go through our squad, all those experienced players have won trophies whether its’ been here at the Roar or overseas.
“They are winners and they know how to win football games. These are the games you need them because finals football is different to the regular season.”
