Two sides struggling for form in the bottom half of the Australian A-League table will do battle on Friday, as Newcastle Jets entertain Brisbane Roar.
Having gone four games without a victory, the hosts sit in 11th spot with just a three-point lead over basement side Melbourne Victory, while their visitors have dropped to eighth place following a three-match winless run of their own.
Match preview
After finishing ninth in the Australian A-League last time around, Newcastle Jets kicked off the new campaign in relatively pleasing form, as a 1-0 victory away at Adelaide United after Christmas left them on 12 points from their opening nine outings with four three-point hauls on the board.
They have been unable to add another notch to that wins column in four games since, though, as Arthur Papas's men firstly suffered back-to-back 2-0 defeats at the hands of Sydney FC and Macarthur after the turn of the year.
The Jets then took on Western United away from home and came away with a point as neither side found a winner after Daniel Stynes levelled the game at 1-1 inside the first 20 minutes, and they set out to build on that and return to winning ways when they hosted Western Sydney Wanderers last time out.
Papas's side went into the interval with a 1-0 lead over the third-placed visitors, thanks to Angus Thurgate's 37th-minute opener, but they would be pegged back soon after the hour mark, as Oliver Bozanic forced a share of the points from the penalty spot.
While the Jets cannot be too disappointed with that result, the four-match winless run has seen them quickly drop to 11th spot, and with 10th-placed Sydney only ahead on goal difference and Western United and Friday's opponents just one and two points better off respectively, they will be keen to make a return to winning ways sooner rather than later and begin climbing back up the division.
They meet a Brisbane Roar side hoping to end a tough run of their own, with the visitors having gone three matches without a triumph in the league.
Although Warren Moon's side only won three of their opening 10 A-League games, their defensive resilience meant they only suffered one defeat in that time and sat on 15 points as a result.
The Roar would then suffer consecutive defeats, though, losing by one-goal margins to Perth Glory and Wellington Phoenix, before meeting league leaders Melbourne City last time out and coming away with a commendable point following a goalless draw.
After once again adding a point to their tally thanks to a clean sheet, Moon's men now boast the league's second-best defensive record, with only the leaders conceding fewer than the 10 goals they have shipped in 13 games so far, while they are certainly struggling at the other end of the pitch, having only netted 10 goals of their own, fewer than any other side in the division.
Having already lost several forwards in January, the Roar now face the important task of improving their fortunes in attack to build on their tight record at the back, with the chance to go back ahead of sixth-placed Macarthur and seventh-placed Perth Glory, both of whom sit just a point ahead, if they can put a fourth league win of the season on the board on Friday.
Team News
Newcastle Jets went into the Western Sydney Wanderers contest with an unchanged starting XI from their draw with Western United, and Papas is again unlikely to make many alterations, with Dane Ingham, Matthew Jurman and James McGarry bound to keep their places in the back four alongside former Arsenal man Carl Jenkinson.
Further forward, Angus Thurgate is a mainstay in midfield, and the goalscorer in last week's draw will again be joined by Beka Dartsmelia in the engine room, with Daniel Stynes and Jaushua Sotirio set to offer attacking support behind the front line.
That line could be led by Beka Mikeltadze and Trent Buhagiar, although with just two goals each in the A-League so far this season, they could see their places under threat, with the likes of Reno Piscopo and Archie Goodwin pushing to come in from the outset.
Brisbane Roar's faltering attack has taken further hits in recent weeks, as striker Charlie Austin departed around the turn of the year, as did Cyrus Dehmie, while Consadole Sapporo loanee Riku Danzaki, who starred in the 2020-21 season with nine league goals, is unlikely to feature again for the club with a transfer to Scottish outfit Motherwell looming.
Given those losses, plenty of attacking responsibility will again fall on Carlo Armiento, who has scored three and assisted one of their 10 A-League goals so far, while Joe Knowles and Jay O'Shea should also feature from the start.
At the other end of the pitch, Moon has no reason to change his defence after another impressive clean sheet last time out, with Scott Neville, Tom Aldred and Connor Chapman again set to line up in a back three.
Newcastle Jets possible starting lineup:
Duncan; Ingham, Jenkinson, Jurman, McGarry; Thurgate, Dartsmelia; Stynes, Sotirio; Mikeltadze, Bihagiar
Brisbane Roar possible starting lineup:
Holmes; Neville, Aldred, Chapman; Hingert, Courtney-Perkins, Zabala, Trewin; O'Shea; Armiento, Knowles
We say: Newcastle Jets 0-1 Brisbane Roar
Both teams have struggled going forward so far this season, while the visitors are also excelling defensively unlike their hosts, and as a result, if one goal is to split the sides we fancy Moon's men to seal a narrow victory.
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Top tip
Sam Varley
