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Brisbane Roar FC
0
Match Complete
Western United FC
1
| 68' |  | A. Durante | ||
| S. McDonald | | 64' | ||
| 46' | | T. Imai | ||
| T. Aldred | | 39' | ||
| 21' |  | A. Diamanti | ||
| 4' | | T. Uskok |
| 16 | Shots | 12 | ||
| 3 | On Target | 5 | ||
| 21 | Fouls | 15 | ||
| 5 | Corners | 0 | ||
| 0 | Offsides | 4 | ||
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 | ||
| 2 | Yellow Cards | 3 |
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Brisbane Roar and Western United will meet in the second elimination final of the A-League campaign as both teams search for a spot in the semi-final at Bankwest Stadium without a crowd. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary for the match, with the clash kicking off at 6pm (AEST).
The Brisbane Roar have picked up where they left off since the restart from the break, even with a new head coach.
Meanwhile they battle off controversial off-field issues, with Robbie Fowler claiming he was illegally sacked after not returning to Australia.
However, on the field, they have been in form under new coach Warren Moon.
Facing a tricky restart, they managed five points out of a possible 12 and had impressive draws against both Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix.
As outlined in my article earlier this week on the A-League finals series, Warren Moon has made an interesting tactical change upfront.
Scott McDonald is appearing in more of a central role up front, while Dylan Wenzel-Halls is playing more of an inside left position, getting in behind from deep.
This strategy is giving Brisbane another element to their game.
McDonald has a fantastic touch under pressure, meaning Brisbane can fizz low balls into central positions to help relieve pressure.
This has been a frequent feature of Brisbane’s game, giving them a more vertical approach in their very horizontal style of attacking.
McDonald has grown into this role, scoring two goals in four games since the restart.
Meanwhile Western United have been the form team since the A-League restart despite having an extremely clogged schedule.
While they lost to Melbourne City, it is hard to take that game into account considering the rotation Mark Rudan employed heading into the finals series.
Before that, they took 12 out of 15 points, with wins against Melbourne Victory, Western Sydney Wanderers, Perth Glory and Sydney FC.
They have improved defensively from their midseason crisis, and the signing of Tomoki Imai has been crucial, partnering well with Andrew Durante and Aaron Calver in the heart of the defence.
And of course, with Alessandro Diamanti in your team, anything is possible.
Prediction
The attacking firepower for Western United may be enough to get Mark Rudan’s side over the line. They have an extremely experienced team who knows how to play for the win.
Western United aren’t a side that needs to get in behind, especially with Besart Berisha up front, which won’t be good for Brisbane’s deep defence, and they will struggle to contain Max Burgess and Diamanti.
Join The Roar tonight at 6pm AEST for live scores and a blog of the match.
Kick-off: 6pm (AEST)
Venue: Bankwest Stadium
TV: Fox Sports
Live stream: Kayo Sports, Foxtel, MyFootball Live app
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