What a contest awaits as the Westfield’s W-League’s most successful club visit runaway leaders and new glamour outfit Melbourne City on Sunday.
It is somewhat of a final frontier for Melbourne City who have faced and defeated all the other traditional Westfield W-League elite, winning all of their five matches thus far.
City, however, will be without their most important cog with midfielder Jess Fishlock in camp with the Wales squad ahead of their UEFA Women’s EURO qualifier.
Westfield Matildas star and team captain Lisa De Vanna is also absent serving the second week of a suspension, following her red card in the 4-2 win against Canberra United a fortnight ago. Of course the near all-international City side have more than enough talent to cover their absence.
With that pair unavailable, Roar will rarely have a better chance to strike against the team with an eight-point lead at the summit. To do that however they will need to cast aside some recent modest form, and they enter this contest on the back of two successive home defeats.
Star goalscorer Tameka Butt will be hoping to get through the full 90 minutes this week, while under-rated Gabe Marzano returns to the squad this week. The Roar will also be looking to the influence of experienced New Zealand international midfielder Kirsty Yallop who made her club debut last weekend.
Melbourne City v Brisbane Roar
Sunday 22 November 2015
C.B. Smith Reserve, Fawkner, Melbourne
Local kick-off: 2pm
Join the conversation on Twitter using match hashtag #MCYvBRI
* Listen LIVE on TuneIn – http://tunein.com/radio/Melbourne-City-W-League-Live-s256286/
Melbourne City squad: 1. Brianna Davey (gk), 3. Alex Chidiac, 4. Jennifer Beattie, 5. Laura Alleway, 6. Aivi Luik, 7. Stephanie Catley, 8. Kim Little, 9. Larissa Crummer, 13. Rebekah Stott, 14. Melina Ayres, 15. Amy Jackson, 16. Beattie Goad, 17. Marianna Tabain, 20. Trudy Burke (gk)
Ins: Melina Ayres (promoted)
Outs: Jess Fishlock (international duty)
Unavailable: Monique Iannella (knee – indefinite), Lisa De Vanna (suspended – 1 week)
Brisbane Roar squad: 1. Haley Kopmeyer (gk), 3. Amy Chapman, 4. Clare Polkinghorne, 6. Angela Beard, 7. Gabe Marzano, 10. Katrina Gorry, 11. Kirsty Yallop, 12. Alisha Foote, 13. Tameka Butt, 14. Summer O’Brien, 15. Ruth Blackburn, 16. Ashley Spina, 17. Emily Gielnik, 18. Maili Forbes, 19. Sofie Persson, 20. Carrie Simpson (gk)
Ins: Gabe Marzano (promoted), Summer O’Brien (returns from injury)
Outs: Ayesha Norrie, Cortnee Vine (both omitted)
Unavailable: Brooke Goodrich (injured)
