A mouth-watering clash between Brisbane Roar and Sydney FC highlights the upcoming round of Westfield W-League action in which a number of Westfield Matildas are set to play crucial roles once again.
Both the Roar and Sky Blues come into their Round 10 clash on Thursday night high on confidence after both sides notched 4-0 wins over the weekend.
Hayley Raso starred for Brisbane while fellow Westfield Matildas Clare Polkinghorne, Elise Kellond-Knight, Katrina Gorry and Mackenzie Arnold all pitched in as the Roar secured a shock 4-0 win over the red-hot Western Sydney Wanderers on Sunday.
PREVIEW: Sydney FC v Brisbane Roar
Meanwhile, Chloe Logarzo, Caitlin Foord and Alanna Kennedy all played their roles in Sydney FC’s similarly impressive 4-0 win over Canberra United on Monday afternoon.
Brisbane and Sydney’s Round 10 clash on Thursday night at Leichhardt Oval comes at a crucial time in the season; a win for the Sky Blues will ensure they keep the pace with Melbourne City who top the table, while three points to the Roar will bring them within two points of Sydney with four rounds to play.
City, meanwhile, will be looking to capitalise on the Wanderers’ dismal performance against the Roar and build on their four-point gap on top of the Westfield W-League table.
City's Westfield Matildas Aivi Luik, Lydia Williams, Steph Catley, Ellie Carpenter, Emily van Egmond, Emma Checker and Kyah Simon all featured from the start in a 4-0 win of their own against Canberra United last Thursday evening, and they’ll be hoping for a similarly comfortable result against Gema Simon and the Newcastle Jets on Saturday afternoon.
The Jets come into the clash under new leadership, with assistant coach Ash Wilson taking the reins after Craig Deans took over Newcastle’s Hyundai A-League team due to the sacking of Ernie Merrick.
PREVIEW: Melbourne City v Newcastle Jets
TALKING POINTS: Premiers Plate a three-horse race?
Melbourne Victory return from the bye to take on the winless Adelaide United on Saturday night.
Jenna McCormick and new-recruit Teagan Micah are likely to feature in Victory’s squad as they travel to Marden Sports Complex in search of a win to keep them in the finals conversation.
The Victory have a game in hand on the Roar who they trail by just two points, making a win this weekend pivotal in their pursuit of fourth place on the Westfield W-League table.
Adelaide, meanwhile, are still pursuing their first win of the season; they haven’t played since their 2-2 draw with Perth Glory on January 3, but will hope the goals of Mary Fowler and goalkeeping prowess of Sarah Willacy can inspire them to a long-awaited and surprise win over the Victory on Saturday.
Rounding out the weekend’s action are the bruised Wanderers who take on Perth Glory at Bankwest Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Losing 4-0 to Brisbane in Round 9 brought the Wanderers’ momentum to a sudden halt, and Amy Harrison and co. will be looking for an instant turnaround when they face a Glory outfit who, much like the Lady Reds, are yet to notch a win this season.
The Wanderers are third on the Westfield W-League table but hold a game in hand over Sydney and City in second and first place, making an instant response this weekend absolutely vital in their pursuit of the Westfield W-League Premiership.
ROUND 10: How to watch the upcoming round of Westfield W-League
ROUND 9: Westfield W-League Team of the Week
