Since the A-League came back into action after the Asian Cup, neither Brisbane Roar nor Sydney FC have lost a game.
Now, the two prepare to clash in a huge Sunday match for round 21 of the A-League.
Roar definitely has more at stake. It’s hoping to cement its finals position, and sitting at sixth place isn’t much to be happy about when there’s seven matches left to go.
Roar managed to keep fans happy last week when it secured a home win against Western Sydney Wanderers, keeping a 1-0 clean sheet.
Roar midfielder Luke Brattan said after the match that he’s seeing the team build more momentum, and expects to see the team stay in the top six.
Sydney FC matched the 1-0 score too last week, but had an easy opponent to do so. Its Newcastle Jets win was thanks to marquee striker Marc Janko, his sixth straight match to score.
He’ll be integral to the Sky Blues’ next match but Roar coach Mike Mulvey will surely be working on restricting him as much as possible on the pitch.
Dimitri Petratos proved to be integral when the Roar played Sydney in December 2013, scoring a winning hat-trick. Of late, the young Greek Australian hasn’t had much luck, only scoring two goals in the last 30 matches. Mulvey trusts the player, but will he need more time to get back to his scoring ways?
Time will tell.
Melbourne City is hoping to make amends for its disappointing loss to Western Sydney Wanderers on Wednesday when it takes on bottom placed Newcastle Jets tonight at AAMI park.
The team is just one point away from making the top six, and is desperate to build momentum in the next few matches to ensure that happens. It has a great chance to springboard itself tonight in front of a home crowd.
Ladder leader Perth Glory has an interesting match against second placed Wellington Phoenix.
The New Zealand team managed to catch Adelaide United unaware and earned a 2-0 victory at home. Perth had thought it had sailed to another clean win until a last minute Kostas Barbarouses goal ended the match in a 1-1 draw.