He’s back in the squad for the first time since November 26 but fit-again Brisbane Roar midfielder Thomas Broich maintains he’s feeling no pressure to perform against Sydney FC on tomorrow night.
He-s back in the squad for the first time since November 26 but fit-again Brisbane Roar midfielder Thomas Broich maintains he-s feeling no pressure to perform against Sydney FC on tomorrow night.
Broich-s absence from the team, along with the injury to fan favourite Henrique who has been nursing a knee strain, has been touted as the main reason for a lean spell of results for the Roar winning just once in their past eight outings.
However, the 29-year-old believes a return to good fortune has been a long time coming.
“To be honest, I think personally the last few games were pretty good,” he said.
“Adelaide, we should have smashed them and the Victory home was very pleasing to watch so I think that the team is in good shape again.
“The pressure on me is not too big.”
Head Coach Ange Postecoglou is expected to start just one of the two returning players with his decision to also rely on the fitness of Albanian striker Besart Berisha, who has been troubled by a calf strain during the week.
No matter how much game time he is given against the Sky Blues, Broich intends to make the most of his time on the pitch.
“I don-t know how long (I-ll play) but I hope the gaffer makes a good decision for me!” Broich said with a cheeky smile.
“I feel heaps better and I-m looking forward to playing again.
“Obviously I-ve missed playing and when you haven-t played for a while, you get so much joy out of playing again.
“When I first kicked the ball again, I felt like a little child again.”
Sydney themselves are without a win in six Hyundai A-League matches and with pressure mounting on Vitezslav Lavicka and his men after a host of poor performances, Suncorp Stadium is sure to be the host to a tightly-fought contest.
Brisbane Roar v Sydney FC
Saturday 14 January
Venue: Suncorp Stadium
Local kick-off: 6:45pm (7:45pm AEDT)
Referees: Ryan Shepheard / Ashley Beecham / David Walsh / Alan Milliner
HEAD-TO-HEAD: All matches (played 22): Brisbane Roar wins 8, Sydney FC wins 6 (8 draws)
Brisbane Roar Squad: 1. Michael Theoklitos (GK), 2. Matt Smith, 3. Shane Stefanutto (C), 4. Matt Jurman , 5. Ivan Franjic, 6. Erik Paaratlu, 7. Besart Berisha, 8. Massimo Murdocca, 9. Kofi Danning, 10. Henrique, 11. Issey Nakajima-Farran, 14. Rocky Visconte, 16. Mohamed Adnan, 17. Mitch Nichols, 18. Luke Brattan, 19. Jack Hingert, 20. Andrew Redmayne (GK), 22. Thomas Broich *three to be omitted*
In: 10. Henrique (returns from knee injury), 19. Jack Hingert (promoted), 22. Thomas Broich (returns from heel injury) *three to be omitted*
Out: Nil
Unavailable: Nil
Sydney FC squad:1. Liam Reddy, 2. Sebastian Ryall, 3. Jamie Coyne, 4. Pascal Bosschaart, 5. Michael Beauchamp, 7. Brett Emerton, 8. Karol Kisel, 9. Bruno Cazarine, 10. Nick Carle, 11. Dimi Petratos, 12. Shannon Cole, 15. Terry McFlynn (c), 17. Terry Antonis, 18. Juho Makela, 19. Mark Bridge, 20. Ivan Necevski, 21. Scott Jamieson, 23. Rhyan Grant *three to be omitted*
In: Scott Jamieson, Jamie Coyne, Juho Makela (all promoted)
Out: Nil
Unavailable: Mitch Mallia (knee – 1 week)
