Brisbane will be without star playmaker Thomas Broich when they meet Perth Glory in a vital Hyundai A-League clash on Saturday.
Brisbane will be without star playmaker Thomas Broich when they meet Perth Glory in a vital Hyundai A-League clash on Saturday.
Broich failed to recover from a shoulder injury sustained in the Roar's win over Melbourne Victory last weekend, and on Friday the German was officially ruled out by coach Ange Postecoglou.
Midfield workhorse Massimo Murdocca is also expected to miss the match, for the birth of his first child.
Three consecutive wins has Brisbane building hope in the premiership race, trailing Central Coast by six points, but without two of their chief offensive coordinators, it will be a hard ask to take three points from the third-placed Glory.
Postecoglou was envisioning a tough tussle, but said he welcomed the opportunity to dispel beliefs about the side's reliance on Broich.
"He struggled through training yesterday. It was hard to convince him, but it's going to be a tough game up there, so we need everyone fully fit and ready to go," said Postecoglou.
"Hopefully (he's only out for one-match). But last time I said one game he ended up missing six or seven. I have no idea about these things ... hopefully he'll be back next week."
"It's a tough trip anyway. They're in good form and it'll be a tough game. Obviously Thomas has been playing well for us in the last couple of weeks."
"It's just another challenge. If people have doubts about us without Thomas there's only one way of dispelling those doubts and that is getting the runs on the board when you get an opportunity on the weekend."
"(With Massimo) we've just got to wait and see. I haven't heard anything yet. The most important thing is everything goes well and they're all well and happy."
Central Coast's shock draw with Gold Coast has Brisbane edging towards the top spot and with five games remaining, a late tilt for the premiership is becoming a realistic proposition.
Postecoglou was cautious about directly targeting top spot, saying it was just as important to keep an eye over the shoulder, where Perth Glory leads a peloton of contenders in range of second place.
"We're in the final stretch now and the battle for spots in that final six is pretty intense. If we can get another win on the weekend it'll be good," he said.
"I think (Central Coast's lead) was 11 points at one stage. I said we couldn't bridge that gap, and I guess they're still in the box seat."
"But if you have a look ahead of you you've got to have a look behind you as well. We're not clear of third spot at the moment. We've just got to continue on our good form."
"I like this time of the year ... I like big games, I like this time of the year, I like being involved in the finals, and with the Asian Champions League around the corner, it's exciting stuff."