They might be high on star power, but both Newcastle Jets and Sydney FC are low on confidence and will be keen to get back to winning ways when two old rivals meet in Newcastle this afternoon. We’ll have live scores from 5.30pm AEDT.
When these two sides met in round two in front of a packed Allianz Stadium on October 13, the Jets produced a thrilling 3-2 win in an entertaining game that gave Jets fans hope that they might have a championship-winning team.
They went on to win the F3 derby the next week and turned over Melbourne Victory in the following game, but things have began to look rather bleak for the red and blue since.
Gary van Egmond’s charges have yielded one measly point from their past five matches and are free-falling down the A-League ladder.
If it is bad for the Jets, then it is even worse for their Sydney counterparts, who prop up the table with only 10 points.
After Frank Farina replaced Ian Crook the side won in Wellington and it looked as if things might be about to turn around, but last Saturday night’s 2-0 loss at home in the Sydney derby quickly put paid to that.
But with Alessandro Del Piero set to return to the starting lineup and Jason Culina beginning to regain match fitness, a run of results might just be around the corner. This afternoon the Sky Blues get the perfect opportunity to register their fourth win of the season against a Jets side with some serious on-field problems.
Unless Van Egmond can stabilise his highly shaky back four, Sydney look good to return down the F3 with all three points here.
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