It’s another home fixture for our Jet as we take on Melbourne Victory looking to build on our huge win over Perth and gain momentum for the run home to the finals.
Our side was fantastic last week as they disposed of Perth Glory in a devastating 6-1 victory, putting on a show for the home fans.
Victory will be looking to return to the winners’ circle after a lacklustre draw with Brisbane Roar on Tuesday night, as they look to cement a spot in the top tier of the table.
Last Sunday’s win has boosted us to just five points outside the A-League’s top six with six games of football left to be played. This Saturday night fixture shapes up as a crucial match in the context of our season.
Here’s the full breakdown of Saturday night’s clash:
NEWCASTLE JETS V MELBOURNE VICTORY
Date: Saturday 16th April 2022
Kick-off: 7:45pm
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium
How to Watch: SECURE YOUR TICKETS
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Played: 48
Jets: 19
Draws: 10
Victory: 19
A TIGHT HISTORY
These two sides have history – there’s no denying that.
Both sides will be out to get one-up on the other as they head towards the finals and a win on Saturday would be a huge confidence boost for our home side.
Across the history of the A-League, this fixture has been tightly contested – with completely equal records and just four goals separating them – and this is a trend that has continued in recent years. From the last five meetings between these two teams, each side has won twice, drawing once in between.
In recent years this game has become something of a grudge match following the result of the 2017/18 Grand Final.
Although results between these two sides are even, our Jets boast a superior record against Victory at McDonald Jones Stadium. We’ve proven hard to beat for the boys from down south, who’ve only managed six wins in Newcastle from their 23 matches.
TIME TO SNAP THE STREAK
Our Jets and their opponents can both be found at the same end of the form guide – two sides building momentum on their run to the finals.
On one side of the coin, Melbourne is enjoying an impressive run of form and they are unbeaten in their past ten A-League games. On the other, our Jets are looking to build into a similar run of form and are working on solid foundations having lost just one game in their previous five.
The hosts are in a tight battle for a spot in the A-League top six, while our opponents could seal their spot in the finals with a win this weekend.
Fans of both clubs could come to expect a fiery affair between these two sides. When they last met in February, our side recorded a gutsy come from behind victory to win 2-1, in a scrappy affair that saw a red card for Joshua Brillante. Having gone winless against the Jets over the past 12 months, Victory will be out to get revenge.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Daniel Penha (Newcastle Jets)
How can you ignore this midfield magician after the show he produced last Sunday night?
Penha was at his brilliant best against Perth, scoring a pair of goals and making himself a handful for the Glory’s defence across the course of the game.
The 23-year-old turned it on last weekend and complemented his brace with 75% passing accuracy, including three key passes and winning 100% of his tackles in defence.
The dynamic midfielder is quickly making a name for himself as one of the A-League’s finest players. In his first season of Australian football, he leads the league for assists with 10, while also scoring 4 goals in his 19 appearances for the Jets.
Penha has proven his worth both as a fleet footed attacker and is second in the league for successful dribbles per match, while he also provides a solid defensive platform and leads the league for possessions won in the final third with 21 in nineteen matches.
Melbourne’s defence will need to be on their ‘A game’ if they’re to contain our brilliant Brazilian, who seems to only just be warming up.
Marco Rojas (Melbourne Victory)
Much of the limelight has fallen onto our own Daniel Penha this season, but you cannot ignore the recent form of Melbourne’s own attacking ace.
Rojas has recently moved his way into Victory’s top five all-time goal scorers list, overtaking Carlos Hernandez with his brace against Melbourne City last Saturday.
So far this season, the 30-year-old attacker has made his mark as both goal scorer and provider, having scored five goals and made five assists in 20 games so far this season.
The New Zealand international has scored three goals in his past five games, and will be headed into this one full of steam.
Rojas’ best performance in recent weeks came against Melbourne City last weekend over a 72-minute shift where he scored two goals, registered three shots on target and completed 79% of his passes.
STATS & FACTS
Matches between these two sides often provide a result where either side takes all three points, in 48 games between the two sides they’ve only drawn 10 times.
The evenly matched nature of this fixture has been consistent throughout history, in the past ten A-League matches between the two sides, Newcastle have won 4, Melbourne have won 5, and the two sides have drawn once.
Beka Mikeltadze became the sixth Jet to score 10 goals in a single season with his hat-trick against Perth, and he now needs just four goals to equal the club record for most goals in a season previously held by Adam Taggart in 2013-14.
Additionally, Mikeltadze needs just one goal to move into the Jets top ten all time goal scorers after overtaking club icons Emile Heskey and Jeremy Brockie last weekend.
Our side has been excellent in front of their home fans this season and have scored more goals at home than any other side in the competition with 25 goals in 10 matches.
We head into this match having the most shots on target per match with 5.3, slightly better than our opponents with 4.7.
