Brisbane Roar host Wellington Phoenix on Sunday afternoon (5pm KO), with the home side desperate for a win to stake a claim for third spot on the Hyundai A-League ladder.
Three points would continue the Roar’s valuable momentum heading into the finals, after the Roar upset Kashima Antlers in the Asian Champions League on Wednesday night.
The final round will also decide the 2016/17 Golden Boot, Roar’s #9 Jamie Maclaren is currently one goal behind Melbourne Victory’s Besart Berisha (19 goals) on 18 for the season heading into Sunday’s match against the Phoenix.Â
Wellington picked up the three points when the sides last met in the Hyundai A-League, but Brisbane will be confident this weekend at its fortress, Suncorp Stadium a venue opposition teams have struggle at again this season.Â
Can we beat the Nix and head into the finals in form? Get your tickets for Sunday HERE!
Head-to-head
- Overall record: 17Â wins, 6Â draws, 6Â defeats. Goals for: 38;Â Goals against: 32.
- At Suncorp Stadium: 11Â wins, 2Â draws, 2Â defeats. Goals for: 30; Goals against: 15.
- Recent encounters have been close, with the last five matches either ending as a draw or decided by one goal.
- The teams have traded away wins this season – The Roar won in New Zealand in January and the Nix won in Queensland in February.
- The most common scoreline is a 2-1 Roar win.
- There is an average of 2.76Â goals in Roar-Nix matches.
Stats breakdown
- Wellington (51%) and Brisbane (49.1%) are the two most accurate shooting sides in the Hyundai A-League.Â
- Jamie Maclaren has scored more goals (18) than the Phoenix’ top two scorers combined – Roy Krishna (11) and Gui Finkler (5).
- Brisbane have the third-best pass completion rate (78.4%) while Wellington sit eighth (76.1%).
- Maclaren (85) and Kosta Barbarouses (65) are both in the top five for shot attempts.
- Matt McKay leads the Roar in passes in the opposition half (865) while Vince Lia leads the Phoenix (740).
- Both teams are in the top five for clean sheets – Brisbane have secured six and the Phoenix have eight.Â
- The Roar have twice come from behind to win this sesason, while the Nix are yet to accomplish the feat.
Last five meetingsÂ
- Phoenix 2-1 Roar – February 25, 2017 at Suncorp Stadium
- Roar 1-0 Phoenix – January 21, 2017 at Westpac Stadium
- Phoenix 0-0 Roar – October 1, 2016 at Westpac Stadium
- Roar 2-1 Phoenix – December 12, 2015 at Suncorp Stadium
- Phoenix 2-1 Roar – October 24, 2015 at Westpac Stadium
Battle of the Strikers
Jamie Maclaren and Roy Krishna are both streets ahead of their teammates when it comes to goalscoring.
Maclaren is on 18 goals, 12 ahead of his nearest teammate Thomas Kristensen, who has four goals to his name.
It’s a similar story in Wellington, where Krishna has 11 goals and Gui Finkler is the next best with five strikes.
Match details and squads
Hyundai A-League 2016/17 Round 27. Brisbane Roar vs Wellington Phoenix. Sunday, 14 April 2017, Suncorp Stadium. Kick-off 5:00pm (QLD time)Â
Brisbane Roar FC squad:Â 1.Michael THEO (gk), 3.Luke DEVERE, 6.Avram PAPADOPOULOS, 7.Thomas KRISTENSEN, 8.Jacob PEPPER, 9.Jamie MACLAREN, 10.Brett HOLMAN, 11.Tommy OAR, 13.Jade NORTH (c), 19.Jack HINGERT, 20.Shannon BRADY, 21.Jamie YOUNG (gk), 22.Thomas BROICH, 25.Kye ROWLES, 26.Nick D’AGOSTINO, 28.Brandon BORRELLO, 29.Joe CALETTI, 50.Dane INGHAM **two to be omitted**
Wellington Phoenix squad: 1.Glen MOSS (gk), 4.Roly BONEVACIA, 5.Ryan LOWRY, 7.Gui FINKLER, 8.Alex RODRIGUEZ, 9.Kosta BARBAROUSES, 10.Michael MCGLINCHEY, 11.Hamish WATSON, 12.Adam PARKHOUSE, 13.Marco ROSSI, 17.Vince LIA, 19.Tom DOYLE, 20.Lewis ITALIANO (gk), 21.Roy KRISHNA, 22.Andrew DURANTE (c), 24.Logan ROGERSON, 25.Sarpreet SINGH, 30.Oliver SAIL (gk) **two to be omitted**Â
Referee: Kris Griffiths-Jones; Assistant Referee 1: Nathan MacDonald; Assistant Referee 2: Ashley Beecham; Fourth Official: Alex King; Video Assistant Referee: Chris BeathÂ
