Time to bounce back.
After just falling short in their opening match of the Isuzu UTE A-League season, the Newcastle Jets will now turn their attention to the Western Sydney Wanderers at CommBank Stadium this Sunday.
The second round clash will be another chapter in the recently born rivalry between the two sides, with many former Jets players now featuring for the Wanderers, alongside former coach Carl Robinson.
The clash looks to be an enthralling encounter, with our Jets out to claim their ninth win against the Wanderers since their inception in 2012, and their first competition points for the season.
NEWCASTLE JETS v WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS
Date: Sunday, 28th November
Kick-off: 6:15 pm
Venue: CommBank Stadium
How to Watch: Paramount+
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Since: 2012
Played: 25
Jets: 8
Wanderers: 9
Draw: 8
FIRST AWAY DAY
After opening the season at McDonald Jones Stadium last weekend, the Jets travel to CommBank Stadium looking to claim their first against the Wanderers at the venue, after previously playing out two draws at the newly renamed ground.
The Jets won’t be too worried about playing in Western Sydney though, however, with five of their eight wins against the side coming from away fixtures.
Arthur Papas’ new-look squad will be aware of not just the quality the opposition brings on the field, but off it as well as the Wanderers possess one of the more vocal active support groups in the league. Having experienced a high-emotion contest last weekend, the team will look to make sure they keep their focus across the full 90 minutes.
The last meeting between the sides ended all square at 1-1 in Round Six of last season, but with a host of new acquisitions for both sides, form is thrown out the window and the three points will go to whoever wants it more.
FAMILIAR FACES
Both sides will be fairly familiar to one another and for the fans. Wanderers will line up with several players who have previously played for the Jets, such as Dimi Petratos, Ramy Najjarine, Berni Ibini, Steven Ugarkovic and John Koutroumbis.
Petratos will be a name that stands out to long-time Jets fans, with the midfielder bagging 22 goals in his time at the Club, while Ugarkovic also played over 130 games in our colours.
Our Jets also feature some former Western Sydney names though including captain Matt Jurman. Youngsters Kosta Grozos, Jordan O’Doherty and Mo Al-Taay were all signed from our opposition while Sam Silvera also proceeded through their academy ranks.
Jets fans might also remember former coach Carl Robinson, who left the club to take up a deal with the Wanderers in late 2020.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Savvas Siatravanis (Newcastle Jets)
Greek winger Savvas Siatravanis looked dangerous during the opening match of the season last weekend, with the forward having the equal most shots of anyone in the derby with four from his 63 minute A-League debut.
Despite not scoring, Savvas popped up in multiple attacking raids for the Jets and very nearly proved the deciding factor on multiple occasions. He will hope to once again be a handful for the defence with his pacey style of play.
Watch for him to try capitalise on the attacking opportunities that are fast becoming a feature in the Jets play-style, and for his link-up play with fellow international forward, Beqa Mikeltadze.
Dimi Petratos (Western Sydney Wanderers)
In a match with very few chances last week against Sydney FC, Petratos was able to record 3 three shots on target – the most of any player in the trying conditions.
Dimi previously spent three seasons with the Jets before completing a move to the Saudi Professional League in 2020, and has now returned on loan to the Wanderers for the 2021/22 season.
He will be hoping to pull the strings from the midfield for the Wanderers with his crafty playmaking and shooting skills, and will have to be a player of focus for our defenders.
STATS & FACTS
Further proving the competitive nature of the A-League competition, of the 25 matches played between the two sides, the ledger reads almost identical with the Jets recording eight victories, the Wanderers nine, and eight draws.
Traditionally close affairs, the Jets have scored only two more goals than the Wanderers across all their encounters, with our side more recently claiming four victories from our last seven encounters, with their last away victory being a 5-1 drubbing in 2019.
Strangely, our away forms are mirrored in this fixture, with both sides claiming the majority of their wins at the opponents’ home ground. The Jets have secured five wins, and the Wanderers have six at McDonald Jones Stadium.
If Dimi Petratos manages to score this weekend, he will become the equal highest goal scorer in the fixture with six goals, tied with Mark Bridge who was also a name that featured for both sides. Jason Hoffman currently leads our goal tally with three goals.
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