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Perth Glory will be looking to extend their lead atop of the A-League table when they take on the revitalised Sydney FC at nib Stadium. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 9:30pm (AEDT).
Perth have been a bit scratchy in their four games since Christmas, winning only one game and drawing two. This included salvaging a 3-3 draw against Melbourne Victory in their last game after trailing 1-3 with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Glory coach Kenny Lowe will be concerned with the defensive lapses. They gave their opponents too much space near the box and turned the ball over too many times.
A further concern for Lowe will be the absence of key defensive midfielder Rostyn Griffiths, who is serving a suspension. In-form winger Chris Harold is also out with an ankle injury.
Still the Glory will pose the Sky Blues problems in attack with the dangerous run and instincts of striker Andy Keogh and the inconsistent but spectacular Nebojsa Marinkovic.
Last time these two teams met, in early December, the Sky Blues did an excellent job keeping the mercurial Serbian quiet. But the dead ball specialist once again showed his ability to turn a game with a beautiful free kick in the 83rd minute, that found an unmarked Griffiths heading the equaliser from six yards out. Glory went on to win 2-1.
The Sky Blues are coming off their biggest win of the season after beating Central Coast Mariners 5-1 at Gosford, their first win at coach Graham Arnold’s old stamping ground since 2008.
Prior to the Asian Cup break the Sky Blues were struggling, failing to score in 360 minutes of football. It comes after a devastating period for the club losing four players to season-ending injuries in a short amount of time.
However Arnold used the Asian Cup break wisely, signing Sengalese cousins Mickael Tavares and Jacques Faty, who both made an impression against the Mariners, along with midfielder Robert Stambolziez.
The Sky Blues completed 90 per cent of their passes and looked in control from the start, with Marc Janko and Bernie Ibini dangerous up forward.
Prediction
Sydney showed some excellent glimpses against a disappointing Mariners outfit, but they need greater consistency.
The Glory’s form has been patchy since Christmas and Griffiths and Harold are going to be big losses, especially Griffiths who is their defensive general.
The Glory are very hard to beat at home but Sydney are undefeated on the road this season and could be a chance to cause an upset.
2-2 draw.
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