- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Opinion
Sydney FC will be facing the Newcastle Jets at Leichhardt Oval in a clash that will kickstart Round 4 of the A-League.
Both teams are coming off Round 3 losses but in very different ways. Sydney FC lost narrowly to Western Sydney Wanderers in the derby, where a Wanderers’ counter-attack and VAR was the only two things to separate the sides. Sydney FC had double the shots, twice as many shots on target and 68 per cent of possession in a game which they really should have scored.
A big talking point is Kosta Barbarouses, as he has done anything but score. Against Adelaide United, he scored from a neat finish which was millimetres offside, and later in the game chipped the goalkeeper before it being cleared off the goal-line. Against the Wanderers, he headed the ball and it rolled off the post and was controversially not given by VAR.
On the other hand, the Newcastle Jets have only one point from two games. They suffered a 1-1 draw against Central Coast Mariners where the fact that they had a bye appeared to punish them, before disappointedly losing 2-1 at home to Adelaide United.
They also had more shots with 18 to Adelaide’s 12, and also doubled them in shots on target, managing eight compared to Adelaide’s four. This shows that Andrew Redmayne will most likely be busy against Newcastle and will need to be on the top of his game to keep a clean sheet.
Sydney FC squad
Sydney FC has a dilemma at left back, with yet again Paulo Retre being criticised for his decision making and positioning in the lead up to the Wanderers’ goal. The best possible solution is to play Joel King at left back.
Even if Michael Zullo is back from his injury, I doubt he will be ready to start and will most likely only make it to the bench. So except for King at left-back, I doubt we will see any changes in Steve Corica’s side. They produced opportunities and weren’t short of shots, taking 20 in the game.
However, only four of them were on target, and Corica will be looking to polish up the final accuracy. So, in terms of opportunities and shots, Sydney is fine and for now, they can just assume that it was one of those games against the Wanderers where the ball would do anything except find the back of the net.
But if they continue to create opportunities and fail to find the net, Corica will have a real problem on his hands. An option is to bring in Luke Ivanovic or Jordi Swibel. Ivanovic has already proved is clinical ability on the A-League stage, whereas Swibel has proved it in the youth leagues and NPL 1.
Sydney FC predicted starting eleven
Formation: 4-2-2-2
GK: Andrew Redmayne
LB: Joel King
CB: Alex Wilkinson
CB: Ryan McGowan
RB: Rhyan Grant
(AAP Image/Brendan Esposito)
CDM: Brandon O’Neil
CDM: Luke Brattan
LAM: Milos Ninkovic
RAM: Alex Baumjohann
ST: Adam Le Fondre
ST: Kosta Barbarouses
Newcastle Jets squad
Newcastle Jets have also had a scoring problem, and it is something that hasn’t just started up this season. However, the addition of Abdiel Arroyo is helpful, as he is a known poacher who can find the back of the net. He will be looking to score again against Sydney but will be facing himself against two of the most experienced centre-backs in the league.
Dimi Petratos is still the centre of the team and they will be relying on him to create the bulk of the chances. However, he will be coming up against on-form Brandon O’Neil and could be marked out of the game. I doubt to see any changes in the Newcastle Jets squad, except Bobby Burns, who may come into the starting eleven at left back for Johnny Koutroumbis who looks uncomfortable at left back.
Newcastle Jets predicted starting eleven
Formation: 4-2-3-1
GK: Glenn Moss
LB: Bobby Burns
CB: Nikolai Topor-Stanley
CB: Nigel Boogaard
RB: Matthew Millar
CDM: Steven Ugarkovic
CDM: Matthew Ridenton
LM: Nicholas Fitzgerald
CAM: Dimitri Petratos
RM: Jason Hoffmann
ST: Abdiel Arroyo
Predicted match result
Many predicted Sydney FC to tear apart the Newcastle Jets, but after the performance against Wellington Phoenix, I’m not too sure. However, I’m pretty sure they will win, but how much?. I’m going to predict a 2-1 game in favour of Sydney FC. But could we see an upset from underdogs Newcastle?
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.