The excitement is reaching boiling point! Can Roar make it a fantastic five and keep the pressure on the ladder leaders?
The excitement is reaching boiling point! Can Roar make it a fantastic five and keep the pressure on the ladder leaders?
What a time to find some of your best form of the season! With the finals fast approaching, and with Central Coast Mariners losing last weekend, Brisbane have got their eyes firmly on the prize. It's four wins on the spin now for the Queenlanders and, with Roar having a better goal-difference than the Mariners, this title race has been blown wide open. So get on board and show your support.
There are two trophies to be won and, as they proved in last year's Grand Final, Brisbane Roar keep on going until the very end. So turn Suncorp Stadium into a cauldron of noise on Friday.
Last week Roar proved they have the wherewithal to once again go all the way this season, by leaping a huge hurdle in their bid for a top-two finish. An away trip to Perth seemed tricky, especially as the West Australians were breathing down their necks, but they romped to a comfortable 3-0 win thanks to a first-half Henrique goal and a brace from Besart Berisha. Impressively, they won without influential playmaker Thomas Broich.
Performing so well minus a key player will be a relief to Ange Postecoglou, as he will be missing Henrique for this crucial clash against Melbourne Heart, after the Brazilian was shown a straight red card for stupidly giving Jacob Burns a slap round the chops.
While they are playing brilliantly right now, if Roar are to keep the pressure on the Mariners, then they will have to do something that they haven't achieved so far this season: beat Melbourne Heart. When the sides met in January, it took an equaliser from Berisha to rescue a point for Brisbane at AAMI Park after Jonatan Germano had earlier given the home side the lead.
Meanwhile, at Suncorp Stadium in December, Brisbane were beaten at home for the first time in an age by a Melbourne Heart team that was increasing in confidence with every game. Roar found themselves two behind inside the first half-hour, with goals from Germano once more and Eli Babalj doing the damage. While Mitch Nichols pulled one back, Heart held on. This Saturday, Brisbane will be desperate to get revenge for the rare home defeat which really had an impact on their season.
But they play a team that is also on form at the moment. After a sticky start to the year, Melbourne Heart have won two on the bounce, including a sensational triumph over the Central Coast.
While Roar were extremely grateful for that result, they will be hoping John van 't Schip's side don't put in the same kind of performance as they did against the leaders. A fine clean sheet and a solitary strike from striker Eli Babalj was enough to move Heart into fifth place.
Suncorp Stadium is the place to be on Saturday as the current Premiers look to make it five wins from five. Help your team keep the momentum going and make it a grandstand finish to the Hyundai A-League 2011/12 season!