[VIDEO] Melbourne City vs Brisbane Roar highlights: A-League scores, blog

MATCH RESULT:

While it wasn’t a great game with neither side willing to take the game on; that won’t bother Melbourne City who on balanced deserved the points.

The talking point will naturally be the penalty, which was definitely on the softer side, but when you put yourself in that position as a defender you run the risk of giving those away.

The Roar will be scratching their heads as their performance lacked the potency that they have built their recent reputation on.
FINAL SCORE:
City 1
Roar 0

MATCH PREVIEW:

Full of confidence after winning the grand final replay mid-week, the Brisbane Roar are out to pile on more misery for Melbourne City. Join The Roar from 5:00pm AEDT for our live blog coverage of this Round 9 fixture.

Crisis? What crisis? Just a fortnight after parting ways with championship winning coach Mike Mulvey, Brisbane silenced their critics in the best possible way defeating the Western Sydney Wanderers 1-nil in the cauldron that is Parramatta Stadium.

That win propelled the Roar into sixth spot on the ladder and their passionate supporters will hope that it’s just the start of something bigger when they travel to Melbourne to do battle with eighth placed Melbourne City.

Winless since their last meeting with Brisbane on November 8th, this clash looms as vitally important in the context of City’s season.

After losing 5-1 to Wellington last start, City will be hoping for a vastly improved performance in front of their home crowd. They can’t afford another heavy loss because as other teams start to get into the rhythm of their season, goal difference could very well play a significant role in the final outcome.

How Melbourne City can win:
In their short history, Melbourne City have beaten Brisbane five times, a feat which holds up well when you consider just how dominant the Queenslanders have been in recent seasons.

Games between these two sides have been traditionally close. Fresh in their minds will be their most recent game against the champions a month ago when they came out on top 3-1.

If they can recapture that mindset, there is every chance that they will achieve a positive result in this match. Two of their key players in this match will be Aaron Mooy and Damian Duff as much of their attack revolves around these two players.

This match will be a mental challenge for the home side and everyone will be watching to see how they bounce back after their heavy loss to the Phoenix.

How Brisbane can win:
Brisbane’s best chance of winning is to take advantage of Melbourne City’s defensive woes. In their last six games they have conceded 17 goals, and if they concede early they often concede again in a relatively short period of time.

Brisbane will be fielding a relatively inexperienced side, and covering the loss of the Broich will be a huge challenge. In saying that though these opportunities will give young players a certain feeling of freedom, and with a new coach they will be looking to impress their boss in each and every match.

To achieve a positive result Brisbane will need to control the midfield with their slick passing game. City have on occasions shown that they struggle in transition, and Brisbane have demonstrated in the past that they are ruthless when they sense these opportunities.

Likely Result:
Despite playing their second game in a week Brisbane look in better form than City, but as football fans we know that once the whistle starts form means nothing.

Don’t be surprised if this one ends up as a 1-all draw.