Melbourne Victory return to action after the bye intent on continuing their improved form with a win over Newcastle Jets at AAMI Park on Sunday afternoon.
The 2019/20 Hyundai A-League campaign has been somewhat of a slog for the Victory so far but a surprise 2-1 win over Melbourne City in Round 11 has given them hope of a resurgence.
However, Victory received a set-back on Sunday when they confirmed the news that Tim Hoogland has been ruled out for three to four weeks as the German defender will undergo knee surgery on Monday.
Four slots on the ladder separate the Victory and the Jets who sit at the bottom of the Hyundai A-League table, but a win for Ernie Merrick’s side will draw the two sides level in what is becoming a tightly-contested season.
Newcastle looked on track for a solid campaign until three consecutive losses through Round 9-11, in which they scored just three goals and shipped 12, sent them crashing to the bottom of the table.
A point against Brisbane Roar last weekend should have come as a relief for the Jets, but conceding a late equaliser after leading for most of the game would have left them wanting more, starting with an instant improvement against the Victory this weekend.
It’s the first time the two sides meet in the 2019/20 Hyundai A-League campaign but the Jets will take great confidence from their 2019 FFA Cup Round of 32 clash at AAMI Park, where the Victory squandered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 thanks to an extra-time winner from Jets youngster Patrick Langlois.
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Sunday, 5 January 2020
Kick-off: 6.30pm AEDT
Venue: AAMI Park
Broadcast: FOX Sports 505
Stream: MyFootball Live App, Kayo Sports
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Team news
TBC
Did you know?
- Newcastle Jets have conceded the joint-fewest yellow cards (13, also Adelaide United) of any side in the 2019/20 A-League season, 14 fewer than Melbourne Victory (27).
- Melbourne Victory’s Thomas Deng (90% – 130/145) has the best passing accuracy in the opposition half of any player in the 2019/20 A-League season (min. 50 passes), the Newcastle Jets’ best is Steven Ugarkovic (82% – 247/300).
- Dimitri Petratos (Newcastle Jets) has created the most scoring chances (18) of any player from set plays in the 2019/20 A-League season, 10 more than Melbourne Victory’s best (Jakob Poulsen – 8).
