After claiming their maiden win of the season in front of home fans last weekend, the Newcastle Jets now travel to Campbelltown Sports Stadium to face the top of the table Macarthur FC on Sunday night.
Fresh from arguably one of the most dominant displays seen from a Jets side in recent memory, the Jets now travel away to face Macarthur FC who are currently on top of the ladder after claiming three wins and one draw from their opening rounds.
The Bulls are proving to be a team to keep an eye on in the early rounds of the season, continuing on from their strong year last year which saw them reach the semi-finals in their debut season. The two sides have only met twice previously, with the Jets looking to claim their first-ever victory against the recently established club.
MACARTHUR FC V NEWCASTLE JETS
Date: Sunday, 19th December
Kick-off: 4:05 pm
Venue: Campbelltown Stadium
How to Watch: Paramount+
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Since: 2020
Played: 2
Jets: 0
Macarthur FC: 1
Draw: 1
ABOVE THE RADAR
Despite early results not going our way, Jets fans were confident of a breakthrough, and that came with last weekend’s 4-0 trouncing of Wellington Phoenix.
Manager Arthur Papas and his players have worked hard during the pre-season to nail down a new playstyle that focuses on possession and attacking play, and it was definitely on show at McDonald Jones Stadium.
The Jets held over 60% of possession for a third time this season, whilst also completing close to 200 more passes than their opposition – two features that are quickly becoming signatures of this new era.
The Bulls are also enjoying some strong results to begin their season, with their most recent clash against the Wanderers seeing them solidify the top spot on the ladder with a 2-0 victory.
Macarthur are yet to play at home, however, with this weekend’s fixture slated to be their first game at Campbelltown Stadium for the season and only the third match ever played between the teams.
ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK
Both sides have shown an eagerness to shift the ball and attack during the early parts of the season, with the Jets particularly producing some exquisite attacking raids that see two of their front three, Valentino Yuel and Beqa Mikeltadze, on top of the goalscoring charts with three goals each.
In contrast, the defence has been a feature for the Bulls in the early rounds, conceding only one goal which happened to be a penalty, however they have also scored five of their own.
Interestingly though, the side have yet to have the lion share of possession in a match this season and also have completed the least passes of any side.
The Jets on the other hand took their first steps in fixing some defensive lapses seen in their early games, achieving their first clean sheet of the season. Our goal tally also increased to nine, as too did our assists tally, which is currently the most in the league, with eight.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Olivier Boumal (Newcastle Jets)
One of the new international signings, Olivier Boumal has quickly solidified himself as an attacking threat on the flanks for the Jets, starting in each of the four games this season.
The Cameroonian-international has proved to be a handful for defenders during his first season in Australia, scoring his first goal in our Round Two match against Western Sydney Wanderers and also collecting an assist last Friday.
Watch for Boumal to make attacking runs from the edge of the box, worrying defenders with his pace and chancing his hand with a shot from his wicked left boot.
The winger can play as a provider too, creating space for his fellow attacking players where he has provided five-shot assists this season.
Tommy Oar (Macarthur FC)
The inaugural signing of Macarthur FC in 2020, Tommy Oar has well over 10 years of experience in top-flight football from his time in the A-League and the Dutch professional league.
Oar’s resume also includes 28 appearances for the Socceroos and is highlighted by his selection for their 2014 World Cup campaign.
Featuring for Brisbane Roar and Central Coast Mariners previously, Oar brings a wealth of experience to the Bulls, which sees him as one of the stalwarts of the team – laying on three assists in his first year with the club.
His flexibility between the wing and centre-midfield makes him a threat around the pitch as does his incisive passing into the attacking third where he has registered a 75% passing accuracy so far this season, the equal 2nd most of the Bull’s expected line-up attacking quartet.
STATS & FACTS
This fixture will only be the third between the teams, with the ledger reading one draw and one loss for the Jets.
The last time these two sides met at Campbelltown Stadium, it was a 2-all stalemate with Valentino Yuel and Jack Duncan being the only current Jets to feature in that game.
Until last week, Wellington Phoenix had completed the fewest passes in the competition, however, Macarthur FC has talent that mantle now – completing 1,568 passes compared to the Jets who have completed the most in the league, 2,329.
Despite that though, Macarthur have registered one more shot than the Jets with the Bulls having 64 shots, compared to our 63.
