Two of the faster starters of the 2015-16 A-League campaign meet on Friday night as Brisbane travel south to take on the league-leaders Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium.
Sydney host the Roar left as the only unbeaten side after the opening four rounds of fixtures. Their latest win came away to the Mariners, a Nick Fitzgerald sending off and Matt Simon brace proving the difference between the two sides
Without playing their best football, Graham Arnold has found a formula to maximise efficiency for the Sky Blues who, without creating loads of chances remain difficult to beat. It is a different story for the Roar, however.
Playing with far more verve and attacking potency, John Aloisi’s men have proved, in the opening rounds of this campaign, that last season was an anomaly. Scoring 10 goals in just four matches, Brisbane are the league’s top goal-scorers but have, at times, looked fragile at the back.
In their most recent outing the Roar obliterated an underwhelming Adelaide United 3-0 at Suncorp Stadium, with a brace from young gun Brandon Borello earning him a place in our Team of the Week for Matchday 4.
A game that sees the clash of two contrasting styles, will the Roar force Sydney out of their shell?
Key battle – Brandon Borello vs Rhyan Grant
A key match-up that pits one of the form youngsters of the competition in Borello against makeshift left fullback Rhyan Grant. Borello has found himself in rich goalscoring form over the past fortnight. The young Socceroo has four goals in as many games, forming a formidable partnership with new signing Jamie Maclaren in the top third.
Recently nominated for the A-League’s Young Player of the Year Award for October, the winger will be matched up against the evergreen Grant. The Sky Blues’ utility has started all of his matches from left fullback so far this season and has performed admirably without having any stand out performances.
However, it is the form of Borello that may worry the AIS product. Considering that Arnold has a ready-made replacement in the form of Alex Gersbach on the bench however recent developments in his contract talks seem to have halted the youngster’s on-field opportunities.
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Team News
Sydney FC welcome back Milos Ninkovic from a knee injury with Ali Abbas still five weeks from full fitness. Graham Arnold is likely to continue with the core of the side that is yet to be beaten in the Hyundai A-League this season. Gersbach will likely start from the bench once more with Ninkovic slotting into his wide role. Despite Simon’s heroic brace at his former home ground, expect Shane Smeltz to continue as the main man.
Meanwhile, Aloisi welcomes back strike Jean Carlos Solorzano after a lengthy knee injury and defender James Donachie. Despite these additions it is unlikely there will be any changes to the side who thumped Adelaide last time out. Borello and Maclaren will look to continue their deadly combination up top with the likes of Thomas Broich providing ample opportunity.
Head-to-head
Having met on 33 previous occassions, Brisbane have edged the total wins in this fixture with 13. The points have been shared 10 times and Sydney have triumphed on another 10 outings.
Previous Meeting
The last time these two sides met was during a nine-goal thriller at Allianz Stadium in March of this year. A Marc Janko hat-trick was accompanied by a rocket from the unlikely Matthew Jurman only after Henrique had opened the scoring early. Alex Brosque all but sealed the three points late on and despite Dimi Petratos’ goal, the Sky Blues earned all three points.
Prediction
Sydney FC’s opening rounds have been cagey, tight affairs and while it is unlikely to reach the heights of last season’s encounter, expect this match to be far more open. Aloisi’s side have arguably been the most creative and attacking in the opening four rounds and he has warned this will not change when the Roar come to visit. Sydney may be dealt their first loss of the season if Maclaren and Borello are firing.
Sydney FC 1 Brisbane Roar 2
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