It’s a rivalry that has never been short of excitement, action, and plenty of goals and there’s nothing to suggest that the Wanderers and Brisbane Roar clash at Bankwest Stadium Stadium this Saturday night will be any different.
It’s a rivalry that has never been short of excitement, action, and plenty of goals and there’s nothing to suggest that the Wanderers and Brisbane Roar clash at Bankwest Stadium Stadium this Saturday night will be any different.
Get tickets to this Saturday’s match against the Roar here.
The Wanderers are riding high at the top of the table, the only team to notch three from three wins in what is their best start to a season since they came into the competition in 2012.
Head coach Markus Babbel has the competition leaders playing with character, confidence and a belief they can be a big player come the business end of the season.
It was there for all to see last week when the Wanderers withstood everything Sydney FC could throw at them to emerge with a remarkable 1-0 win in the first Sydney Derby of the season.
While it might not have been the Wanderers’ best performance, it showed that there is much more substance and resilience than what we have seen in recent seasons.
There are also plenty of signs that the team is only going to get better as the season progresses.
Interestingly, Babbel, who is in his second season with the club, will be opposed on the sideline by Roar coach Robbie Fowler. They were teammates at famous English club Liverpool in the early 2000s and, as fate would have it, now find themselves coaching in the Hyundai A-League.
Fowler joined the Roar in pre-season amid suggestions the club was taking a risk signing him on as head coach given his lack of experience coaching at a senior level.
But, while they have managed just a draw and a loss in their opening two games, the Roar are showing signs of developing as a decent side under the former England international.
After a late goal secured a draw against Perth Glory, the Roar were unfortunate to go down 1-0 at home to Melbourne Victory last week.
If past games between the two sides are any indication, we could be in for some real excitement as both teams like to get forward as often as they can and have players who are very dangerous in the final third of the field.
The Wanderers have had the better of the Queenslanders in recent seasons having recorded three wins and two draws from the last five encounters.
What has been notable about those games is the fact that they have produced a total of 16 goals with the Wanderers winning 4-1 away the last time they met last season.
Babbel will have some interest selection headaches this week with Bruce Kamau likely to be included in the squad after spending sometime on the sidelines with an injury while new signing Nicolai Muller will have had a week to acclimatise.
The German had his first run with the team this week and will be raring to go as soon as possible.
