In-form Brisbane striker Jamie Maclaren says Sydney FC’s defence will dread trying to stop Roar’s lethal attacking combination on Friday night.
The Hyundai A-League’s top-two sides face-off at Allianz Stadium in a blockbuster early-season clash between two teams with legitimate designs on the title.
While the Sky Blues possess the competition’s meanest defence, Roar are purring going forward with Maclaren and Brandon Borrello forming a deadly partnership.
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The pair are the league’s leading scorers so far this season, combining for seven goals from the opening four rounds.
“I know defenders probably wouldn’t like playing against us. If I’m not making the run, [Borrello’s] making it,” Maclaren told reporters on Wednesday.
“We are both young and want to do well. We have the same pace and we want to score goals.
“We’ve got players like Matty [McKay], Dimi [Dimitri Petratos] and Corona who can keep the ball, they’ve got to come and get it off us. When you’ve got Tommy [Thomas Broich] on the left, most defenders want to look after him and that gives us a bit of free space to run into.
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“We’re full of confidence, we’re going there thinking we’re going to get some goals,” he added.
And if history is anything to go by, Maclaren’s words should ring true.
Brisbane have only failed to score in one of 11 visits to the Harbour City and have scored an impressive 10 goals in their last three games at Allianz Stadium.
While a win would bring it the added bonus of moving to the top of the ladder, Maclaren feels this fixture is more about getting an indication of exactly how Roar is travelling.
“Both teams have started very well, they are a good side, they had a good win and are full of confidence,” the 22-year-old said.
“But so are we so it should be a good clash to see where we both are at.”
Maclaren was rewarded for his outstanding start to the season by winning selection in the Olyroos squad for the upcoming friendlies against Qatar and Iran.
