Roar Guru
That’s six games without a win for the Western Sydney Wanderers, and seven for the Newcastle Jets, as the sides play out a 1-1 draw.
The Jets looked much better tonight, and the Wanderers were good in patches, but missed the pace and skill of Rukavytsya and Castelen in the last half hour.
FINAL SCORE:
Western Sydney 1
Newcastle 1
The Newcastle Jets will arrive at Pirtek Stadium confident that a result is possible, as they come up against the out-of-form Western Sydney Wanderers who play their third match in seven days. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 5:00pm (AEDT).
It truly is a bottom of the table clash, and one that doesn’t promise the most spectacular attacking display. However, both teams are capable of scoring goals, so perhaps the wooden spoon contenders can surprise us and put on an entertaining match of football.
Newcastle come into the match rested, recuperated and hungry for the first win of the season, and with players like Montano, Griffiths, Carney, Celeski and Flores; it surely is just a matter of time before the goals – and points – arrive thick and fast.
Though it’s never a good sign when the coach lacks confidence, as is the case with Phil Stubbins, who was “worried his side would prove doubters right” after the 4-0 defeat to Brisbane Roar in Round 5. The morale in the Jets’ camp is almost certainly low, so they will need to gather together and gel as a squad if they are to find a way around the well organised Wanderers.
Western Sydney bounce back from a gritty 0-0 draw with the Mariners on Wednesday to play their third game in seven days, but fatigue won’t be a problem, as Popovic’s rotation policy already comes in handy this season.
The AFC Coach of the Year Nominee has swapped nine starting players in the last two matches, so betting on tonights line up isn’t a great idea. Juric should start, and you can expect Topor-Stanley to slot in next to Spiranovic, as he didn’t play when away on international duty, and will be ready to go.
You can expect a good contest from these sides, as two teams with equally bad starts to the season will be looking to get something out of a match they feel they can both win, though one team (or both in the case of a draw) will walk away from Round 7 still winless.
The Wanderers have the home advantage, though Newcastle have a full weeks recovery. This one will be close, but we predict WSW 1-0 Newcastle.
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