Pre Season Challenge: Queensland Roar v Sydney FC Match Thread

[Ray Nolan]

All discussion for the Group B Pre Season Challenge match between Queensland Roar & Sydney FC may be posted on this thread. It will be stickied until next Tuesday.

 

[Ray Nolan]

TROPICAL DATE FOR ROAR AS SEMI-FINALS BECKON

Thursday 4 August 2005

Following last weekend’s comprehensive 5-0 victory against the New Zealand Knights, Queensland Roar head into this Saturday’s crunch match against Pre-Season Cup favourites Sydney FC in search of an upset (Saturday 6th August, Barlow Park, Cairns, 7.00pm Kick Off).

Already assured of underdog status, Miron Bleiberg’s men face a mammoth task in Cairns to overcome the Group B leaders and take their place in the semi-finals.

Their prospects haven’t been helped by a series of new injury worries, but good news emerged late today (Thursday 4th August) when striker Royce Brownlie was passed fit enough to travel and will join his team-mates on Friday morning.

In-form Brownlie bagged two goals in the opening 12 minutes of last week’s clash with the Knights before retiring with a rib injury and later suffering a severe bout of tonsillitis.

Defender Todd Gava is definitely ruled out with a knee injury sustained in Auckland and did not travel to Cairns with the squad on Wednesday. The other injury victim, Warren Moon, was also given a fitness test on his thigh strain late today, but is considered too much of a risk and will not make the squad.

Talented 17-year-old stand-by player Dario Vidosic, was drafted into the squad this week as cover for the injured or doubtful players as Roar’s playing roster gets stretched to the limit. Vidosic is on a short-term contract and may figure at some stage against Sydney FC.

Absent though is Tae-Yong Shin, who has returned to Korea on compassionate grounds following news that his mother is unwell and has been admitted to hospital. Shin is likely to be in Korea for a week.

Despite his depleted squad, Bleiberg is determined to stick to the attacking game-plan that worked so well against the Knights last week.

“To be certain of qualifying for the next round we have to win so there is not point in playing for any other result.”

“We really want to beat Sydney FC as it will be a big boost for our confidence,” Bleiberg said.

“I would be happier if we had a stronger squad to face them with. On the other hand, everyone is saying that Sydney FC are the benchmark for the Hyundai A-League so if we can get a good result against them with a patched-up team then it shows how far we have come,” he added.

Group B of the Pre-Season Cup is still very open with three of the four teams still able to qualify for the knock-out phase. With the Central Coast Mariners taking on the New Zealand Knights some two hours earlier, the Roar will have a good idea of what result is required to take them through to the semi-finals.

The squad is: Tom Willis, Karl Dodd, Remo Buess, Chad Gibson, Massimo Murdocca, Royce Brownlie, Tyler Simpson, Jonathan Richter, Ben Griffin, Hyuk-Su Seo, Reece Tollenaere, Alex Brosque, Scott Higgins, Spase Dilevski, Dario Vidosic.

 

[Ray Nolan]

SYDNEY FC OUT TO EARN HOME SEMI WITH WIN OVER ROAR

Saturday 5 August 2006

Sydney FC will be out to earn a home semi final by defeating Queensland Roar in their Hyundai A-League Pre-Season Cup round robin clash at Barlow Park in Cairns on Saturday night.

With two wins from as many matches Sydney FC sit alone atop the Group B standings and are almost assured of a semi final berth, but Pierre Littbarski’s men are looking to ensure that the semi final is played at home, at Aussie Stadium.

A win or a draw against the Roar will see Sydney FC finish on top of their group and book a semi final against the runner-up from Group A at Aussie Stadium at a time to be determined next weekend.

Even if Queensland Roar win it will still take a series of other results to go against Sydney FC for the Oceania Club Champions to miss the semi finals altogether.

Regardless of the possible outcomes of this weekend’s games and the upcoming semi final match ups Sydney FC will be determined to uphold their 17 match unbeaten streak against an inform Roar outfit that mauled the New Zealand Knights 5-0 in Auckland last weekend.

Two players that will certainly be trying to influence the result of Saturday’s match will be Sydney FC strikers Dwight Yorke and Sasho Petrovski.

Yorke and Petrovski are developing a potent combination on the field and will be looking to continue the form that has netted them four goals in Sydney FC’s last two matches.

Saturday’s match will be the duo’s final game together before Yorke heads overseas on international duty for Trinidad and Tobago and Petrovski joins new Socceroo coach Guus Hiddink’s training camp in the Netherlands.

Another who will be out to impress the sellout crowd is Cairns native Steve Corica.

The midfielder has been in sterling form in recent weeks, standing in as Sydney FC captain and leading by example on the pitch.

Last week against the Central Coast Mariners Corica was as industrious as ever, scoring a neat individual goal and troubling the opposition defense throughout in a performance reminiscent of the type of football he played during his 40 cap Socceroo career.

Tomorrow’s game will mark Sydney FC’s first appearance in Queensland and only their second ever game against the Roar whom they defeated 3-0 in Gosford in the opening round of the Australian Qualifying Tournament for the FIFA World Club Championship.

Sydney FC went onto win both the Australian and Oceania Qualifying Tournaments and will now battle five of the best club’s in the world for the FIFA World Club Championship in Japan in December.

 

[CarterS]

QLD are looking good for the upcoming season, we may not have any big time charlies in the team but we are a team of hard workers. Watch out for us sneaking up on Sydney and the other so-called favourites