Our A-League Men’s side are back in action after their bye round as they host Brisbane Roar in an exciting double header.
You can get your tickets to the double header here.
In addition to being fresh due to having a week off, they will also be in confident mood after an impressive win on the road in their last match.
It’s never easy travelling to Melbourne City, especially when the side had a tough night there last season, but a superb defensive display laid the foundation for an important victory.
Nicolas Milanovic continued his brilliant start to the season after converting a penalty he won himself, before Marcus Antonsson got on the scoresheet for the second match in a row with a clinical effort as the game wound down to its conclusion.
The win saw them surge up the table, back into positive goal difference and also saw them keep their first clean sheet of the season, with the young centre back pairing of Anthony Pantazopoulos and Alex Bonetig impressing, with Lawrence Thomas also showing what the team missed after his absence due to injury.
But the man of the moment is undoubtedly Milanovic; his five goals in November saw him named the PFA Player of the Month, showing what a shrewd move it was from the club to extend his contract in the offseason.
Zac Sapsford will also look to continue his run in the starting side up front alongside Brandon Borrello, who will be aiming to add to his goalscoring tally for the season.
The Wanderers will be hoping to pile on the misery of the last placed Brisbane Roar, who have just a point from their opening six games this season.
Under Ruben Zadkovich, the Roar have opted for a youth-first approach, with Thomas Waddingham leading the way up front, but there are some growing pains in the sunshine state, with the Roar having shipped the second most goals so far with 18 conceded.
They seemed to turn a corner to an extent two weeks ago in a crazy 4-4 draw with Macarthur on the road where they came from behind, but they were put in their place last weekend by Melbourne City.
The Roar fell behind after less than a minute as they fell to a poor 4-1 defeat at Suncorp Stadium that left them rooted to the foot of the table.
They have shown they can at times get amongst the goals, scoring two against Adelaide and Sydney FC in one goal defeats, but their defence consistently is letting them down.
They have quality in the side with Jay O’Shea and Florian Berenguer in midfield, whilst Indonesian attacker Rafael Struick could be a wildcard option in different stages of a game.
However, Zadkovich will be beginning to feel the pressure and knows he needs to get a win on the board to give himself some breathing space in the job.
Unfortunately for the Wanderers, their recent record against the Roar has been underwhelming, having failed to win in their last eight matches against Brisbane in all competitions.
The two matches last season saw a draw at Suncorp Stadium, where the Wanderers showed great spirit to come from two goals down, before they fell to a narrow defeat at Wanderland in the latter stages of the season.
A win for the Red and Black could shoot them into the top six for the first time this season, a huge boost as the club heads towards the festive period.
