Preview: Brisbane Roar v Newcastle Jets

The Jets were absent for half a game last week, meanwhile the Roar of old have simply been absent all season, who can rediscover their mojo?

Date: Saturday, December 1, 2012
Kick-off: 6:45pm EST, 7:45pm AEDT
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Head-to-head
Played: 22, Wins: Brisbane Roar 8, Newcastle Jets 8, Draws: 6

Previous encounter
Brisbane Roar 2 Newcastle Jets 1, March 17, 2012

Form:
Past five matches:
Brisbane Roar: LWLLL
Newcastle Jets: DLWLW

The Game
Brisbane and Newcastle face off on Saturday with both sides struggling to find form and consistency.

The Roar have tasted victory just once in their last six A-League games, a streak that has seen the defending champions slip to second from bottom in the standings.

Brisbane’s only success during that period came against an out-of-sorts Sydney FC side, who find themselves at the foot of the table.

The Jets, meanwhile, have collected four points from their last four encounters following a 3-3 draw against Melbourne Heart at AAMI Park on Sunday.

Gary Van Egmond’s troops registered three wins on the bounce following their opening round loss to Adelaide United but it has been a rocky road since.

The Jets, however, do have history on their side with an incredible seven wins from eight games in Brisbane.

The big issue
Brisbane Roar – Can they address their form slump? Brisbane’s bid to claim an unprecedented third successive championship is on the verge of collapse after a run of four defeats in five games. Things will not get any easier with Matt Smith and Ivan Franjic missing the match due to international commitments with the Qantas Socceroos.

The Roar defence, which has been a cornerstone in much of their success, have managed to keep just one clean sheet this season.

Newcastle Jets – The Jets have frailties at the back. A leaky defence has shipped 10 goals in their last four games. Alarmingly, two of those were conceded in the opening four minutes of Sunday’s 3-3 draw with the Heart. Newcastle skipper Jobe Wheelhouse has already called for an improvement and it will be interesting to see how the back four perform at Suncorp on Saturday night.

Gamebreaker
Thomas Broich – The classy German has struggled to reach the lofty heights of last season but has still proved a handful for opposition defenders. Broich leads the league with most fouls won (28) and the close attention has not stopped him from creating chances for team-mates, with his four assists propelling him to the top of the charts in that department.

Prediction
Brisbane 3-2 Newcastle. Brisbane need to kick-start their season and what better way to do it than toppling one of their bogey sides. The Roar’s last home victory against the Jets came in 2008, courtesy of a 90th-minute winner from Sergio van Dijk. But with Vidosic desperate for a response from his players, expect key personnel to step up and guide the team to three points.