These two clubs may be out of finals contention but head into this clash in the best form of their seasons and ready to produce another Friday night thriller.
Roar’s last outing was also on a Friday and turned out to be classic, defeating a nine-man Central Coast Mariners 5-3 in Gosford.
After going eight games without a win when he first took the reins, interim coach Darren Davies has led Brisbane to two wins in their last three games.
Frenchman Eric Bautheac, who scored a stunning overhead goal in that win over the Mariners, has been a key figure in Roar’s improvement and will be the man the Wanderers must stop at Suncorp Stadium.
But the visitors head north in confident mood having gone three games without defeat.
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After back-to-back wins over Adelaide United and the Mariners, the Wanderers backed it up with a sensational 1-1 draw against Premiership favourites Perth Glory last round.
It’s the type of form that suggests the players are starting to come to grips with coach Markus Babbel’s demands as they build towards a stronger 2019/20 campaign.
Roar and the Wanderers met at Suncorp back in Round 16 in a match the home side scored twice in second-half injury-time to snatch a 2-2 draw.
If this one is half as dramatic, expect plenty of fireworks in the first of two Hyundai A-League matches to be played this weekend.
Key Opta Stats
- Brisbane Roar have been losing at half-time in each of their last three Hyundai A-League games against Western Sydney Wanderers at Suncorp Stadium; however, they’ve gone on to taste defeat only once in that period (W1, D1).
- There have been 30 goals scored across the Wanderers’ last six games played away from home in the Hyundai A-League, with the Wanderers picking up just one win in the process (D2, L3).
- Wanderers keeper Vedran Janjetovic has registered four errors leading to goals this season, twice as many as the next-placed player. One of those errors came against Roar the last time the sides met.
Ins and Outs
Brisbane Roar FC squad: 1.Brendan WHITE (gk), 4.Daniel BOWLES, 7.Thomas KRISTENSEN, 8.Jacob PEPPER, 11.Eric BAUTHEAC, 12.Ruon TONGYIK, 14.Alex LOPEZ, 15.Stefan NIGRO, 16.Charles LOKOLI-NGOY, 17.Matt MCKAY (c), 18.Joe CALETTI, 21.Jamie YOUNG, 22.Tobias MIKKELSEN, 23.Dylan WENZEL-HALLS, 26.Nicholas D’AGOSTINO, 33.HENRIQUE, 36.Daniel LECK, 38.Izaack POWELL **two to be omitted**
Ins: 15.Stefan NIGRO (promoted), 18.Joe CALETTI (promoted), 26.Nicholas D’AGOSTINO (promoted)
Outs: 2.Dane INGHAM (foot)
Unavailable: 3.Luke DEVERE (knee), 10.Brett HOLMAN (knee), 13.Stefan MAUK (groin), 19.Jack HINGERT (knee), 24.Connor O’TOOLE (broken leg)
Western Sydney Wanderers FC squad: 3.Giancarlo GALLIFUOCO, 5.Brendan HAMILL (c), 9.Oriol RIERA, 10.Alex BAUMJOHANN, 11.Bruce KAMAU, 12.Mitchell DUKE, 13.Tass MOURDOUKOUTAS, 14.Mathieu CORDIER, 17.Keanu BACCUS, 19.Mark BRIDGE, 20.Vedran JANJETOVIC (gk), 21.Tarek ELRICH, 22.Rashid MAHAZI, 27.Kwame YEBOAH, 28.Roly BONEVACIA, 33.Tate RUSSELL, 50.Jack GREENWOOD (gk), 49.Abraham MAJOK **two to be omitted**
Ins: 3.Giancarlo GALLIFUOCO (promoted), 5.Brendan HAMILL (returns from suspension), 27.Kwame YEBOAH (returns from injury), 50.Jack GREENWOOD (promoted).
Outs: 40.Nick SUMAN (injury – 1 week), 8.Jordan O’DOHERTY (injury – remainder of the season).
Unavailable: 4.Josh RISDON (injury – 3 weeks), 18.Marc TOKICH (injury – 3 weeks).
How to watch
Tune in to FOX SPORTS 505 to catch this clash which kicks off at 7:50pm (AEDT) on Friday. You can also stream it live on the MyFootball Live App, while you can also subscribe to Kayo Sports.
Tickets
CLICK HERE to get your seat at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
