It’s not a matter of if, but more a matter of when Brisbane Roar will get its hands on the premiership plate.
With just four games remaining and a nine point lead at the top of the ladder, it must be pretty comforting for coach Mike Mulvey.
Their fixture isn’t the easiest one this round, with second placed Melbourne Victory travelling to meet the team.
Kevin Muscat’s team is doing well after the coach has moved to a better formation. They’ve seen success in the Asian Champions League this week thanks to Kosta Barbarouses, and after an away win against Perth Glory, they’re in good stead to give the Roar a run for their money.
Barbarouses has applauded Muscat for moving the team to a 4-3-3 formation, after the risky 4-2-2-2 formation wasn’t giving the goals they needed.
“Once we do get the ball we attack the same as we do in a 4-2-2-2,” he says.
“It’s not too much different. But it’s just maybe a little bit more stability defensively and we can break a little bit faster as well.”
If Kevin Muscat’s men can secure a top-two finish, it guarantees them a week off, a home final and a berth in next season’s AFC Champions League.
Melbourne Heart is in desperate times at the moment. Sitting six points outside the top six and with 12 points left to play for, they will need to win every game and hope a few of their rivals drop points.
They go up against Central Coast Mariners who have seen a bit of resurgence of late. Sitting third on the ladder and an impressive 3-1 win against the Newcastle Jets last week, the team is the favourite for the win. But, with their ACL campaign not looking so good, (they suffered a frustrating 2-1 loss away to Beijing Guoan on Wednesday) Melbourne Heart might have a chance.
They have the home advantage this time and with their coach re-signed for three more years, they’ll be hitting the pitch with a strong game.
The Jets will be seeing their match today against Wellington Phoenix as a must win. Sitting just two points outside the top six, a win and strong momentum in the next three matches could mean a finals place for the sadly inconsistent team.
The home advantage doesn’t really mean much for the Jets, with only three wins in 11 at Hunter Stadium.
The Phoenix are battling injuries, slowing their stunning winless run of late.
