Brisbane Roar captain Matt McKay hopes many of the young players now emerging in the club’s Hyundai A-League squad get the chance to take on Liverpool FC’s finest when the two clubs clash at Suncorp Stadium on Friday 17 July.
Liverpool FC hosted a press conference today at Suncorp Stadium which included club officials and one of the Reds’ global ambassadors, Robbie Fowler.
The press conference coincided with the release this morning of the general public tickets for the 17 July match, which is close to a sell-out.
Liverpool FC Commercial Director Olly Dale said the club was delighted to be playing Brisbane Roar, which he described as “one of the great success stories of the Hyundai A-League”.
“Our first visit to Australia two years ago (when LFC played Melbourne Victory and won 2-0) was truly momentous and we are looking forward to having a further extraordinary success when we visit later this year,” he said.
Brisbane Roar FC chairman Chris Fong welcomed Liverpool FC to Brisbane and said the match up was another step forward in the Roar’s growth and high standing in the Australian and world football communities.
With the match set to be telecast worldwide to a potential audience of millions, McKay said it would be a wonderful opportunity for all Roar players to showcase their talents.
But he added the match was particularly timely for the new generation of Roar players making their mark in the team this season.
“It is going to be a great experience for all of us,” McKay said.
“We have a lot of young players in the squad and I hope they get the opportunity to come on (against Liverpool FC)”.
“That’s what it is all about, building their experience that will help us in future campaigns by helping them to deal with the pressure of playing against world-class players in high-tempo and high-pressure situations.”
McKay also revealed today he had already beaten Liverpool FC in a previous match.
He played against the Reds in a trial at Ibrox during his time with Glasgow Rangers and won 1-0.
“Hopefully the Roar can have a good display against them as well,” McKay said.
McKay told the press conference the Roar had a particularly busy few weeks ahead which he believes will help hardened his players for the challenge against Liverpool FC at the end of the season.
The Roar play Melbourne Victory at Suncorp Stadium on Friday then have their AFC Asian Champions League opener at Gold Coast Stadium the following Wednesday.
The club then travels to Perth to play the Glory and will continue on after that match to Japan for a mid-week Champions League clash with Urawa Red Diamonds before trekking home for a Hyundai A-League encounter with Western Sydney back at Suncorp Stadium.
McKay described the period as “testing” but said his team was “well prepared”.
“We’ve got a fresher squad now with the few new additions so we can really contest ourselves in the A-League, cement our spot in the six and try and get through this group stage of the Champions League,” he said.
“We know it is going to be challenging but we have to do our job and get results.”
Tickets to next week’s AFC Champions League game at Robina are just $10 (adults) and $5 (children) which includes public transport to and from the game. To book tickets, click here.
