Newcastle Jets Coach Craig Deans has named his squad to face Western Sydney Wanderers at Bankwest Stadium on Friday night.
Whilst brimming with confidence following last week’s 2-1 win over Wellington Phoenix, the Jets know too well what the Wanderers are capable of.
Expecting a competitive match of football, Deans reflected on the learnings from the 2-1 loss at McDonald Jones Stadium earlier this month.
“The first game we didn’t defend a set piece well,” Deans said.
“Set pieces are a crucial part of football – they can win you a game and lose you a game in a flash.
“We’ve been looking at our set pieces. We’ve spoken about the big moments in games.”
New signing Luka Pršo has been included on the bench after missing out on minutes last week.
The 20-year-old only joined the Jets last week after being loaned out by Croatian side NK Osijek.
“It’s a fresh face,” Deans said.
“It gives everyone a bit of a lift when someone new comes in.
“Luka is a young player but has enough experience about him to come in.
“He’s a half attacking midfielder and half defensive.
“When the chance comes for him to step in, he needs to be ready to take it.”
On the injury front, Ali Abbas will again be unavailable for the match due to a troublesome hamstring injury, while Lachlan Jackson’s ankle will also see him out of action for a couple more weeks.
MATCH DETAILS
Friday, 29 January 2021
Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Newcastle Jets
Bankwest Stadium, Parramatta
Kick-Off: 7:05pm (Local) (7:05pm (AEDT))
Referee: Ben Abraham
Assistant Referee 1: Andrej Giev
Assistant Referee 2: Brad Wright
Fourth Official: Kurt Ams
VAR: Alex King
TV Broadcast: Live coverage on FOX SPORTS 505 from 7:00pm (AEDT), Sky Sport 7 (New Zealand), Kayo Sports (www.kayosports.com.au) and MyFootball Live App, Live Fast and Data Free for Telstra mobile customers
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tag #WSWvNEW
To purchase tickets visit www.a-league.com.au/tickets
Western Sydney Wanderers FC squad: 2.Ziggy GORDON, 5.Daniel GEORGIEVSKI, 6.Tass MOURDOUKOUTAS, 7.Bruce KAMAU, 8.Jordan O’DOHERTY, 9.Bernie IBINI, 10.Simon COX, 11.Kwame YEBOAH, 13.Tate RUSSELL, 14.James TROISI, 17.Keanu BACCUS, 18.Graham DORRANS, 23.Kosta GROZOS, 25.Phillip CANCAR, 27.Nicolai MULLER, 30.Daniel MARGUSH (gk), 33.Mark NATTA, 34.Patrick ZIEGLER, 39.Thomas AQUILINA, 50.Oliver KALAC (gk)
**2-4 to be omitted**
Ins: 23.Kosta GROZOS (promoted), 34.Patrick ZIEGLER (promoted), 50.Oliver KALAC (gk) (promoted)
Outs: 40.Noah JAMES (not selected)
Unavailable: 4.Dylan McGOWAN (foot injury), 20.Vedran JANJETOVIC (long term injury), Jordon MUTCH (hotel quarantine)
Newcastle Jets FC squad: 1.Lewis ITALIANO (gk), 2.Johnny KOURTROUMBIS, 3.Jason HOFFMAN, 4.Nigel BOOGAARD (c), 6.Steven UGARKOVIC, 9.Roy O’DONOVAN, 11.Ramy NAJJARINE , 13.Maki PETRATOS, 15.Tete YENGI, 17.Valentino YUEL, 18.Jack ARMSON, 19.Kosta PETRATOS, 21.Luca PRŠO, 23.Jack DUNCAN (gk), 24.Connor O’TOOLE, 25.Jack SIMMONS, 27.Lucas MAURAGIS, 28.Blake ARCHBOLD, 32.Angus THURGATE, 44.Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY
**2-4 to be omitted**
Ins: 18. Jack ARMSON (promoted), 21. Luca PRŠO (promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 5.Ben KANTAROVKSI (calf – 4 weeks), 22.Lachlan JACKSON (ankle – 2 weeks), 14.Ali ABBAS (hamstring – 2 weeks)
