The Roar will head to South Australia hoping they can continue the trend in their games against Adelaide United this season to give their finals’ hopes a boost.
Date: Saturday 2 March, 2013
Kick-off: 5.30pm AEDT, 5.00pm local
Venue: Hindmarsh Stadium
Head-to-head
Played: 24 Wins: Adelaide 9, Brisbane 7, Draws: 8
Previous encounter
Brisbane 1, Adelaide 0, 26 December 2012
Form:
Past five matches:
Adelaide: DLWLL
Brisbane: DWLDW
The Game
Brisbane Roar will head to South Australia on Saturday hoping they can continue the trend in their games against Adelaide United this season to give their finals’ hopes a boost.
In the two previous encounters this season between Brisbane and Adelaide, the away team has won 1-0 on both occasions. The Roar have won two of their past three matches at Hindmarsh Stadium with the other result being a draw and if Mike Mulvey’s team can continue that form, they could move as high as fifth on the Hyundai A-League table.
Brisbane drew 0-0 away to Newcastle last week making it just three goals in their past four matches in all competitions and Mulvey will need to find a solution up front if the Roar are to defeat Adelaide.
While the Reds have only kept one clean sheet in their past seven games, they have averaged 1.43 goals per match in the same period and the likes of Marcelo Carrusca and Dario Vidosic should give Brisbane’s back four plenty to think about.
Adelaide caretaker manager Michael Valkanis will no doubt hope 21-year-old Tomi Juric can lead the Reds’ attack as the former Croatia-based striker has scored two goals in as many games since joining the South Australian club. The only thing standing in the way may be Juric’s fitness as the young forward was substituted after 65 minutes in Adelaide’s 2-2 draw away to Wellington last week after copping plenty of physical punishment from the Phoenix defenders.
The big issue
Adelaide – Jon McKain has been a key player since Valkanis took over as Adelaide’s head coach after John Kosmina quit late last month. The 30-year-old has started in a defensive midfield-role in all four matches during Valkanis’ tenure having not featured under Kosmina. But with McKain having been sent off against the Phoenix, who will Valkanis turn to? Osama Malik did a great job for the Reds in a holding midfield role earlier in the season, while Cameron Watson has also been selected there with less success. Whatever Valkanis decides, the position could be crucial against Brisbane’s impressive midfield.
Brisbane – Did Mulvey make a mistake in signing Stef Nijland? Before the A-League’s mid-season transfer window opened, Mulvey claimed his first priority would be a new forward to give Besart Berisha some more competition. Around a month later Nijland, an attacking midfielder more than an out-and-out striker, arrived on loan from PSV Eindhoven. Since his arrival, Nijland has failed to score or earn an assist, while Brisbane have hit the back of the net five times in as many games. The Roar need more from their Dutch import.
Gamebreaker
Jeronimo Neumann. The pint-sized Argentine attacker has scored seven goals for Adelaide this season and every one of them has been at Hindmarsh Stadium. While Neumann has been in and out of Adelaide’s starting line-up throughout this campaign, the 26-year-old striker remains the Reds’ second-most prolific goal-scorer behind Vidosic (eight goals). Neumann’s pace and trickery make him difficult to pin down and he links well with Adelaide’s twin playmakers, Vidosic an
