Liam Miller insists Brisbane’s lack of meaningful matches over the last month won’t leave them vulnerable against Victory in Sunday’s blockbuster semi-final.
Liam Miller insists Brisbane’s lack of meaningful matches over the last month won’t leave them vulnerable against Melbourne Victory in Sunday’s blockbuster Hyundai A-League semi-final.
Miller denies Roar head into the grand final qualifier on the back of a soft run having wrapped up the Premiers’ Plate last month with three matches to spare.
With little more than pride to play for Brisbane’s form dipped in the final rounds, with their last outing a disappointing 2-0 home loss to Central Coast a fortnight ago.
In contrast, Victory is battle-hardened from an intense AFC Champions League campaign and their epic elimination final win over Sydney FC last weekend.
“I don’t think (we’ll be underdone) at all…we were delighted to get the league wrapped up as quick as we could,” Miller told www.footballaustralia.com.au.
“At the same time now the serious stuff comes down to it. I’m sure you will see it in the players on Sunday, everyone will be fired up and ready to go.
“At the end of the day it’s like a cup final. The reward’s going through to the grand final. It’s no different to any other game as to how we prepare and mentally approach the game.
“There’s so much experience in the squad and we can draw upon that. We’re just looking forward to the game and doing what it takes to win.”
And the key to that could be stopping Victory’s rampant attack, which possess the firepower to pull off an upset at Suncorp Stadium.
With James Troisi, Archie Thompson, Gui Finkler and Kosta Barbarouses in the front line, many believe the visitors possess the best ‘front-four’ combination in the league.
While admitting Roar’s defence will need to be at the top of their game, the Irishman has confidence in the likes of Thomas Broich, Besart Berisha and Dimitri Petratos to deliver for his side.
When asked if he would swap any of the Roar’s frontline for Victory’s attack, Miller declared: “Not a chance.
“I have so much confidence and the group we have here is tremendous.
“They’ve (Victory) got a lot of attacking flair but at the same time we’ve caused them more problems than they cause us.
“Now it’s about whoever turns up best on the day. We’ve prepared really well for it and we’re ready.”
The last time Miller played a finals game in Brisbane it ended in huge disappointment, when his then-Perth Glory side lost the 2012 decider 2-1.
He said making up for that result and winning a title with Brisbane would mean everything to him.
“It’s the reason why I came to the club,” Miller said.
“The quality they had already there and they bought in one or two more players to add to it.
“This is where you want to be. You want to be playing on the biggest stage and it would be great to get there with this team.”
Miller said the vibe around Brisbane is slowly building for the match and he hopes the fans come out in force to help get the Roar through to a home grand final.
Sunday, 27 April 2014
Hyundai A-League 2014 Semi Final 1
Brisbane Roar v Melbourne Victory
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Kick-off: 5.00pm local ( AEST)
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tag #ALeagueFinals
To purchase tickets visit www.aleague.com.au/tickets
