Seventh heaven for City as Rudan no-shows presser after horror defeat
Under-pressure Western Sydney coach Marko Rudan has failed to front up for his post-match press conference after a 7-0 thrashing from Melbourne City, the…
Socceroos Jamie Maclaren and Andrew Nabbout will miss several weeks due to hamstring injuries, with Adam Taggart now shaping as Australia’s starting striker.
It means Graham Arnold will be unable to call on either forward for the Socceroos’ World Cup qualifier against Jordan in Amman on November 15.
Fellow striker Adam Taggart shapes as the man set to benefit from Maclaren’s absence.
Taggart has been a revelation in South Korea, scoring 19 goals across all competitions for K League outfit Suwon Bluewings. He also scored a brace for Australia against Taiwan.
The injuries could also open the door for Apostolos Giannou to earn some game time, while Arnold could be tempted to bring Daniel Arzani and Chris Ikonomidis back into the fold as wide players. Tom Rogic is likely to return after missing the last international window.
A day after scoring twice in City’s defeat of Western United, Maclaren said he had suffered a small tear in his hamstring, with the club confirming he would be sidelined for four-to-five weeks.
“Gutted to learn after scan results this morning I have a small tear in my hamstring! I will be doing everything I can to be back ASAP,” Maclaren wrote on Instagram on Monday.
Maclaren had been in red-hot form for club and country, with 10 goals in seven games for City across the A-League and FFA Cup, along with four goals – including a hat trick – in two games for the Socceroos.
Meanwhile, Nabbout scored his first A-League goal of the season against Brisbane Roar on Friday night but was ruled out of the game after just 33 minutes when he went down holding his hamstring.
“He has undertaken scans today and at this stage we expect Andrew to miss several weeks,” said Victory general manager of football operations, Paul Trimboli.
“We’ll manage his recovery now week-by-week – keeping in mind the length of the season – to ensure he is 100 per cent fit when he returns to the pitch.”
Nabbout joins fellow Socceroos and Victory attacker Robbie Kruse on the sidelines.
© AAP
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Under-pressure Western Sydney coach Marko Rudan has failed to front up for his post-match press conference after a 7-0 thrashing from Melbourne City, the…
Round 19 was an interesting weekend of football with no draws, 19 goals in six matches, two five-goal games on Sunday and for the…
Round 17 was full of interesting contests and plenty of controversy. The highlight of the weekend was a five-goal thriller between the Perth Glory…
After another disastrous weekend of tipping from both the panel and the fans, Round 17 of the A-League looms as just as tricky. Western…
Round 16 was action-packed with plenty of intriguing battles. The weekend started and finished with two six-goal thrillers. It was absolute chaos, with two…
Round 15 was a weekend full of excitement and great football to watch; there’s nothing wrong with the A-League! There were 25 goals in…