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Queensland Roar midfielder Massimo Murdocca says he is confident the club will break their goal-scoring drought in next week’s second leg of their A-League minor semi-final against Sydney FC.
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The Roar haven’t scored in their last 287 minutes of football and have failed to beat Sydney goalkeeper Clint Bolton in their four previous clashes this season.
Even the pre-season encounter between the two sides ended in a 0-0 draw.
Murdocca said the Roar are not dwelling on their poor recent record, however, choosing instead to focus squarely on earning a result at Suncorp Stadium next Friday following the 0-0 draw in the first leg.
“Whenever you’re not scoring you do think about it and wonder why,” the Melbourne-born midfielder confessed after training today.
“But anything can happen in finals and at the end of the day if you’re going to win a final you’re going have to find a goal somewhere.”
Murdocca believes it will all come down to luck once the teams take the pitch in front of an expected record crowd for an A-League match in Brisbane.
“Once you get into the game it’s all luck of the draw, especially in finals, so we’ll go out there and try our best and I’m sure we’ll get one or two,” he said.
“If we’re creating chances that’s the main thing, the goals will come.”
Despite a quiet end to the season, Murdocca has been one of the Roar’s unsung heroes in the centre of the pitch, where the Queenslanders have often asserted their dominance with speed and skill.
His pace, as well as that of youngsters Robbie Kruse and Michael Zullo, could prove the difference against Sydney, Murdocca believes.
“They’re quite afraid of our mobility and Kossie (Sydney coach John Kosmina) has said that quite a few times, so we’ve got to use that effectively and make sure our mobility wins us the game,” he said.
The Roar will play a match against a Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) side in Brisbane tomorrow night, aiming to maintain their match fitness ahead of next week’s elimination match.
“We will take it seriously and make it like a finals game, because we don’t want to let (our momentum) slip now,” Murdocca said.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Liam Reddy trained strongly today after missing several matches with a broken thumb, posing a selection headache for coach Frank Farina after good performances from reserve `keeper Griffin McMaster.
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