Preview: Perth Glory v Brisbane Roar
Perth Glory and Brisbane Roar will meet in Round 15 of the 2013-14 A-League season at nib Stadium on Friday, January 17 at 9.45pm AEDT.
Perth Glory and Brisbane Roar will meet in Round 15 of the 2013-14 A-League season at nib Stadium on Friday, January 17 at 9.45pm AEDT.
Head-to-head: Played 26 - Wins: Glory 5, Roar 16, Draws: 5
Previous encounter: Roar 1-0 Glory, November 30, 2013
Form: Past five matches
Glory: WWLDL Roar: LWWLW
The Game: Perth have shown real improvement under interim coach Kenny Lowe, beating Melbourne Heart 3-0 and the Newcastle Jets 1-0 to take maximum points and avoid conceding a goal in their last two outings. They are sure to face a sterner test when the Roar arrive at nib Stadium, with Brisbane keen to bounce back from a surprise 2-1 loss at home to Adelaide last time out.
Lowe is without Travis Dodd and Scott Jamieson through injury, while Ryo Nagai has returned to Japan after his loan deal was terminated. William Gallas and Jamie Maclaren should return from calf and groin problems respectively, but Ryan Edwards and Jack Duncan are still away with Australia's Under-22 side.
As for the Roar, James Donachie is expected to be fit again after sitting out last week's game with a groin complaint, while Corey Brown is also in Oman with Aurelio Vidmar's national side.
The big issue: Glory - Retaining momentum. The Glory are up to fifth in the table, but are level on 19 points with Sydney FC and the Newcastle Jets, and just two points ahead of in-form Adelaide. They need to keep winning to stay in the finals places, and a home victory over the competition leaders would be a major statement of their intent going into the second half of the campaign.
Roar - Bouncing back at the first attempt. The Roar have only lost four times this season and on each occasion they have recovered immediately to win at least their next two games in succession. Doing so has involved landmark victories, beating Western Sydney 3-1 at home and Sydney FC 5-2 away. Are Perth in line for another Roar backlash, or can they inflict consecutive defeats on Mike Mulvey's title favourites for the first time in 2013-14?
The game breaker: Shane Smeltz marked his return to fitness and availability with a late brace off the bench against Melbourne Heart last week. It remains to be seen if he will start the game against the Roar, but if he does, expect the Kiwi marksman to be crucial to Glory's hopes of seeing off the visitors from Brisbane.