Round 25 – Brisbane Roar vs Melbourne Heart
Suncorp Stadium, Friday March 28th 8pm AEDT #BRIvMHT
Preview
Brisbane wrapped up the Premier’s Plate last week with a last-minute 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory. A 92nd minute goal by Luke Brattan secured first place for the boys in orange, while Melbourne Heart lost 2-1 to Central Coast, all but ending their finals dreams.
On paper this is a match with nothing in it for either team. Roar already have the premiership and will want to rest their best players for the finals, while Heart can only make the finals if both Adelaide and Newcastle lose all of their remaining games, which is unlikely considering they play each other in the final round.
The question is how many players will either coach rest. Brisbane may have sealed the Premier’s Plate, but Victory fought it out to the death, and Brisbane will need all of their players fit to remain at the top of their game in the finals.
Heart, on the other hand, have nothing to lose, and could stand to give youngsters like Stefan Mauk a place in the starting lineup, allowing them to earn their place in Melbourne City next year.
Thomas Broich has been dominant for the Roar all season, and with Besart Berisha suspended Luke Brattan stepped up last week and showed he can score goals. Viewers were given a glimpse of Brisbane Roar after Berisha, and we liked what we saw. With Berisha back from suspension, Brisbane will once again dominate in attack in the same way they dominate in midfield.
Heart have always had a bad record on the road, something which has barely improved since the return of Van ‘t Schip, but their hard-fought win at AAMI Park last time these two sides met, and Roar’s loss to Newcastle prove that nothing is impossible.
Form Guide
Head to head:
Played 11, Roar 4, Heart 5, Drawn 2.
Last Five:
Roar: WDWWL (10 points)
Heart: LDLWW (7 points)
Last Encounter:
Heart 1-0, AAMI Park, 23rd February 2014.
Absentee List
Brisbane: Devante Clut, Brandon Borrello (both omitted), Ivan Franjic (injured, one week), George Lambadardis (Injured, season)
Melbourne: Harry Kewell (injured, two weeks)
Possible XI
Brisbane:
1.Michael THEO (GK), 2.Matthew SMITH (C), 3.Shane STEFANUTTO, 13.Jade NORTH, 8.Steven LUSTICA, 11.Liam MILLER, 14.Diogo FERRIERA, 18.Luke BRATTAN, 22.Thomas BROICH, 7.Besart BERISHA, 10.HENRIQUE
Heart:
1.Andrew REDMAYNE (GK), 24.Patrick KISNORBO, 3.Robbie WIELAERT (C), 6.Patrick GERHARDT, 17.Jason HOFFMAN, 4.Orlando ENGELAAR, 8.Massimo MURDOCCA, 13.Jonatan GERMANO, 15.David WILLIAMS, 21.Stefan MAUK, 23.Mate DUGANDZIC
Eyes On…
Brattan and Broich – these two have the two highest number of passes in the opposition half in the A League, neutralising these two in midfield was the key to Heart’s last victory over Brisbane, and for the Heart to come out on top again there would need to be another stellar midfield effort, but Orlando Engelaar and Massimo Murdocca have proved themselves up to the task before.
David Williams – Heart’s resurgence is often credited to Orlando Engelaar, but this is only half-right. Heart this year have been at their most dangerous when Williams has been in form – and Heart’s recent return to poor form can be attributed to Williams’ inability to stay onside and find the back of the net. For Heart to come out on top, they’ll need their top goal scorer in form.
Prediction
Roar 2:1 (HT 1:0)
Neither team will bring their absolute A game to a match that will matter little in their end-of-season standings, but Brisbane’s quality on ball should see them through without too much challenge.
FTSAL Fact
Thomas Broich has made 10 assists this season, the highest in the league. Besart Berisha has not made a single one.
Since the Heart in round 20, no team has managed to stop Brisbane from scoring. The Roar have found the back of the net 7 time in their past three matches. Melbourne Heart has never kept a clean sheet at Suncorp.
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