Sydney look to build on their draw with Adelaide as they host a Perth outfit hungry for finals football in our early Saturday night A-League encounter
Perth gaining confidence
Since the turn of the New Year Perth Glory has been slowly gaining confidence and picking up momentum. With three points in New Zealand last weekend coming off the back of a month which saw a win and draw against Melbourne Victory, a 6-1 thrashing of Newcastle, and a hard fought 2-2 draw with Melbourne City. Although Kenny Lowe’s men look unlikely to make the finals thanks to a poor start to the campaign, it is clear their January additions of Andy Keogh and Shane Lowry have made the desired impact and Perth could well prove troublesome in the final stretch into the post-season.
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Alex Brosque’s long awaited return
Although Sky Blues captain Alex Brosque has not suffered a substantially long stint on the bench the skipper’s return to the squad this weekend has come with a sigh of relief from Sydney fans. Without their leader on the pitch Graham Arnold’s men have been inconsistent up front to say the least, lacking his instinct and touch in the final third. Given the side did manage to recover from what looked to be a third straight loss last round and bag a pair of goals to share the points with Adelaide, they have the credentials to make their mark up front, but not without losing strength at the back – something a more reliable forward in Brosque is certainly likely to relieve.
Sydney’s upcoming fixtures
With just six points between the Moore Park residents and the nearest side outside of the top six, and just eight rounds left in the regular season Sydney cannot afford to drop points this Saturday – particularly given their difficult run of fixtures over the coming weeks. Off the back of their clash with the Glory the Sky Blues then head into a Sydney Derby, and consecutive meetings with the Victory and City in Melbourne. Meanwhile, Perth (who sit just outside finals contention with 22 points) have four of their next six against fellow bottom four sides. If Sydney are to lose their way over the coming month an in-form Perth may well be laying in wait to take their finals slot.
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