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Defenders round has come to an end following a goalless draw between the Jets and Victory.
It was the Jets that shot out of the blocks the better of the two sides having numerous opportunities and putting on quite a show in front of their home fans. Newcastle were also impressive in defence nullifying the Victory front third, hardly having a sniff in the first half.
Andrew Hoole was impressive on a number of occasions firing attempts at Lawrence Thomas who once again was forced to come to the rescue for the Victory.
Despite being quite an open contest for much of the match neither side were able to make that crucial breakthrough to open the scoring.
Daniel Georgevski came closest in the second half with his attempt rocketing the upright post and brought life into this contest.
The Victory managed to claw their way into the match midway through the second half however lacked that polish to be able to find the goal and kill the game off. Credit must also be given to the Jets who did extremely well in getting numbers behind the ball and preventing the Victory from finding space in behind the defence.
The goalless draw being the first time the Jets have gone without conceding this season, whilst this also only the second game where the Victory have been kept goalless.
Overall it was a frustrating ninety minutes for both sides who would have felt as though they could have pinched the win.
Match Preview
Following their emphatic derby win Melbourne Victory travel to Newcastle where a Jets team driven to claw their way back into the top six awaits them. Join The Roar from 7:30pm (AEDT) for live scores and commentary.
A heatwave across the state of New South Wales meant that this fixture was postponed from its initial kick off on Saturday, providing both teams with the opportunity to further recover from their equally thrilling matches last week.
The Victory toppled their neighbours in controversial fashion, scoring two late goals to seal the win and end a three-match losing streak.
It felt as though it was going to be yet another disappointing result for the Victory before the side sprung to life and set the derby alight in a frantic final fifteen minutes.
Newcastle meanwhile travelled to Perth where they went down in a five-goal thriller against the Glory.
Salt was added to the wounds of the Jets, who slipped out of the top six and were replaced by the Wanderers.
Newcastle however have provided their fans with a sense of optimism this season, putting in some impressive performances.
The club will hope that this season will be the one where their frustrating finals drought will come to an end.
The last time the Jets played finals was back in the 2009-10 season where the club finished sixth.
Since then the Jets have greatly stagnated, failing to break the glass ceiling and be genuine challengers for silverware.
However hope has once again surrounded this Newcastle outfit who have shown what they are capable on a number of occasions this season.
An area that the side have significantly improved on is their effort in front of goal.
The Jets scored the lowest amount of goals last season with a mere 28 goals, however a few tweaks to the system has seen a big improvement with the Jets scoring 26 goals after 18 rounds this season.
The Jets face a Victory side full of beans following their confidence boosting derby win.
This fixture will be perceived ominously by the visitors who have not enjoyed a lot of success at Hunter Stadium, only winning twice in their last ten matches in Newcastle.
The Victory however have recent history on their side coming out on top in three out of their last five meetings.
It was not too long ago that we saw these two sides take the field in Geelong where the Victory sealed the three points but it wasn’t without a few scares from the visitors who showed a bit of fight despite going down 4-2.
Victory’s front third put on a masterclass with Berisha, Rojas, Khalfalla and Troisi all getting on the scoresheet in what was an entertaining spectacle.
Both sides make two inclusions ahead of this match with Steven Ugarkovic returning from suspension for the Jets who also include Aleksandr Kokko in the side.
The pair of James Donachie and George Howard have meanwhile been included for the Victory. Donachie returns following the suspension he picked up against Sydney FC two weeks ago.
This fixture is also significant for one Andrew Nabbout whose rejuvenation has greatly coincided with Newcastle’s return to the promise land.
Nabbout has scored seven goals this season including an impressive brace against Melbourne City a few weeks ago, which has seen him stand out as Newcastle’s biggest threat up front.
The 24-year-old spent three seasons with the Victory where he burst onto the scene, however failed to cement his spot as a regular and was eventually transferred to the Jets where his career has since elevated to another level.
An important three points is on the line for both sides who have much to prove. The Victory are not counting themselves out of the Premiership race just yet and three points will go a long way in alleviating that confidence.
Jets meanwhile will hope to end a poor run of recent results against the Victory and jump inside the top six where they will do whatever means necessary to stay.
Despite the match being postponed the temperature could still play a part meaning that the management of the squads will be crucial.
Prediction
Victory 1-0
Join The Roar from 7:30pm (AEDT) for live scores and commentary.
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