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Melbourne Victory vs Newcastle Jets: A-League live scores, blog

3rd March, 2012
Teams

Melbourne Victory

1. Tando Velaphi
2. Matthew Foschini
4. Petar Franjic
5. Mark Milligan
6. Leigh Broxham
7. Matthew Kemp
9. Jean Carlos Solorzano
10. Archie Thompson
11. Marco Rojas
13. Diogo Ferreira
14. Billy Celeski
16.Carlos Hernandez
17. Jimmy Jeggo
18. Danny Allsopp
19. Isaka Cernak
21. Ante Covic
22. Harry Kewell
24. Ubay Luzardo

Three to be omitted

Newcastle Jets

1. Ben Kennedy
2. Taylor Regan
4. Nikolai Topor-Stanley
5. Tiago Calvano
6. Ben Katarovski
8. Jeremy Brockie
9. Michael Bridges
10. Ruben Zadkovich
11. Tarek Elrich
12. Jobe Wheelhouse (c)
13. Sung-Hwan Byun
14. Labinot Haliti
19. Matthew Nash
22. Ali Abbas
23. Ryan Griffiths
24. Francis Jeffers
25. Jacob Pepper
26. Connor Chapman

Kick-Off: 5.30pm AEDT
Venue: AAMI Park
Referees: Jarred Gillett / Shaun Evans / George Lakrindis / Lucian Laverdure
Head to Head: All matches (played 20): Melbourne Victory wins 7, Newcastle Jets wins 9 (4 draws)
Last Time: Melbourne Victory 2-1 Newcastle Jets
Betting: $1.85 Melbourne Victory, $3.4o Draw, $4 Newcastle Jets
TV: Fox Sports 1 (LIVE)
Roar Guru
3rd March, 2012
92
2713 Reads

It’s crunch time for Melbourne Victory this evening as they continue their struggle to remain in the finals race, hosting the sixth-placed Newcastle Jets. Join us for live scores and minute-by-minute updates of the action at AAMI Park from 5.30 pm AEDT.

The Jets are one of the form teams at the moment, having won four of their last five matches, and have a slender hold on the last remaining spot in the top six.

The Victory sits in eighth position, five points behind the Jets, meaning only all three points will assist them in staying in touch with the top six.

An away draw is an acceptable result for the Jets, but they are only one point plus goal difference ahead of Sydney so for them it won’t be a simple case of sitting back.

An away win would open up an eight point gap on the Victory, and effectively kill off their season.

The Victory go into the game with a few problems, and I’m not just talking about the defensive frailties and midfield feebleness that has plagued the team all season.

Harry Kewell, Archie Thompson and Mark Milligan all featured in the Socceroos’ game mid-week game against Saudi Arabia, in particular, Kewell will struggle to recover with the quick turnaround and is likely to start on the bench.

That’s unfortunate for the Victory, because Kewell has emerged as the Victory’s best player the past six to eight rounds, not just by reputation but also by his deeds on the pitch.

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With the Victory needing the three points, look for them to attack the Jets from the outset, leading to an open game and plenty of goals.

Jets coach Gary van Egmond is an adherent of the modern pressing game; turnovers in dangerous areas and quick counter attacks will allow the likes of Jeremy Brockie to add to his considerable goal tally.

This is likely to be a very entertaining game, and the Victory will push hard for the win, but I see the Jets hanging on for a 2-2 draw.

Is there anything left in the tank for Jim Magilton’s men, or do the Jets kill off a finals contender tonight? It’s the first half of an enthralling A-League double-header tonight and we’ll have detailed commentary from the kick-off at 5.30pm AEDT. Go on, give us your thoughts and predictions in the space below!

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