Our Jets return home after back-to-back away days, and looking to bounce back into the winners’ circle against Perth in order to reignite their charge for the finals.
It was a disappointing last start against Brisbane on the road and our side will need to reset ahead of their run home with seven important games remaining.
Glory are looking to end a form slump of their own, and will be determined to rebound following their recent losses – a 4-2 loss to Macarthur at the weekend, and a 1-0 defeat against Victory during the week – and our Jets will be cautious of a side who is playing with nothing to lose.
Following two tough results against Perth and Brisbane, we are now two wins outside the top six, but still have two games up our sleeve to play and the fate of our finals chances firmly in our hands.
Here’s the full breakdown of Sunday afternoon’s clash:
PERTH GLORY V NEWCASTLE JETS
Date: Sunday 10th April 2022
Kick-off: 4:05pm
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium
How to Watch: SECURE YOUR TICKETS
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Played: 49
Jets: 9
Draws: 12
Perth: 28
BACK FOR ALL THREE POINTS
It was a tight and cagey affair when these two sides last met last Wednesday night, resulting in a lacklustre nil-nil draw, and our side will be focused on improving that performance in front of a parochial home crowd.
Recent history is on the side of our Jets, however, who haven’t been defeated by Perth at home since 2018, while our team have also only lost to Glory once in our previous five encounters.
In saying that, these two sides have been difficult to separate in recent matchups, with three of our past five matches ending in a draw.
Interestingly, while Perth have the rub in the all-time record, our Jets have only lost at home to Glory twice in our past ten matches at McDonald Jones Stadium.
We’ve made our home ground a fortress against the boys from the West and we’ll look to continue that trend on Sunday afternoon.
RETURN OF THE MIDFIELD MAESTRO
Our last encounter with Perth resulted in a contentious red card for our attacking livewire Daniel Penha, who has since served his ban and is now ready to return.
It’s safe to say the 23-year-old was a notable omission from our team against Brisbane on Sunday as we were held scoreless for just the third time this season.
We dearly missed his radar-like passing in the final third and he’ll be hoping he can continue his competition lead of assists and provide that much-loved energy in the final third.
The Brazilian leads the league for number of possessions won in the final third with 20, and has also won the ball in midfield 39 times.
Last time out against Perth, Penha proved himself to be a handful for the Glory, registering two shots on target with 100% accuracy, and also making 38 successful passes with a 68% accuracy.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Dane Ingham (Newcastle Jets)
The speedy wing back has been pivotal in our new-look defensive structure on the right flank and his work rate in attack and defence will be crucial again this Sunday.
Despite playing in a losing side, Ingham was very solid against Brisbane and was able to complete the match with 70% passing accuracy and beat his opponent on the dribble three times.
The 22-year-old was also solid coming back into our end, clearing our lines four times and winning multiple ground duels.
The New Zealand representative was solid in our last meeting with Glory also, making two key passes moving up the pitch to aid the attack recovering possession for the team seven times in what was a studious 90-minute performance from the fullback.
Ingham has been a valuable acquisition for the club since arriving pre-season from Perth and we’re hoping he can shine against his old club on Sunday afternoon.
Jonathon Aspropotamitis (Perth Glory)
While Perth may be languishing at the bottom of the A-League table, you cannot discredit the work their defence has produced this season.
Aspropotamitis has been front and centre of this and has been a strong contributor to his side’s outstanding defensive record.
The 25-year-old is second in the league for clearances per match, clearing his lines a total of 58 times this season.
Last match, Aspropotamitis made six clearances and completed 93% of his passes, and has maintained a passing accuracy of 90% so far in 2021/22.
The central defender is a mainstay in Perth’s starting XI and a major factor of why they are ranked third in the league for goals conceded, despite sitting at the bottom of the table.
STATS & FACTS
This Sunday will mark the 50th clash between the Jets and Perth Glory, it is also the 25th time the two sides have met at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Glory have had the rub over the Jets across history, in recent seasons, have managed to win five of the past ten matchups between the two sides.
We head into this game as the competition’s leaders for possession still per 90 minutes with 56%, which is in stark contrast to Perth, who average just under 50%.
Our Jets have scored the fourth most goals this season with 30 in 19 matches, meanwhile Perth sit at the bottom of this list having scored 16 times in their 20 games.
