Our Jets are back on the road for a midweek clash with Perth as we look to string together three consecutive wins and launch our charge towards the A-League top six.
The team are riding a high after our big victory over Sydney FC and are looking to touch base with sixth place with another strong performance.
On the other end of things, Perth will be hoping to bounce back after a last-gasp goal saw them go down 2-1 to Wellington, and our side will need to be wary of their possible fightback factor.
Currently we are sitting three points short of Sydney who are on the precipice of the top six, but with two games in hand and yet to play, a win this weekend will go a long way to closing the gap.
Here’s the full breakdown of Wednesday night’s clash:
PERTH GLORY V NEWCASTLE JETS
Date: Wednesday 30 March 2022
Kick-off: 9:40pm
Venue: HBF Park
How to Watch: Paramount+
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Played: 48
Jets: 9
Draws: 11
Perth: 28
GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES
They say history has a funny habit of repeating itself, and in terms of the A-League, you often find strange coincidences.
Our side hasn’t won three matches in a row since our extravagant run to the A-League Grand Final in 2018 and the catching point is that we recorded that third consecutive win off the back of another tremendous home win against Sydney FC.
Fast forward four years, and we stand a chance of recording a third straight win off the back of the same – a big team effort to down Sydney at home.
Interestingly, that same season marked the last time our Jets were victorious in Perth which is a drought we will be itching to end on Wednesday night.
Over our past 10 encounters, Perth have held the bragging rights, winning six times to our one, but have only managed two wins from our last five matchups. This week, we look to improve that record.
GOALS GALORE OR CHASING CHANCES?
Our ability to score goals has been one of the most consistent areas of our game and an aspect our team are extremely confident in.
So far this season, our Jets are second in the league for total goals scored, averaging 1.8 goals per match.
On the flip side, Perth has the fourth best defensive record in the league this season, having conceded only 22 goals in 17 matches.
In recent matches our side have begun to shore up our defence, keeping clean sheets in our previous two fixtures. While comparatively, Perth have only kept a clean sheet in one of their last five games.
Momentum appears to be on the side of the Jets for this one, having won our previous two games with an aggregate score of 6-nil, meanwhile, Perth have been winless across their past five matches with only one point accrued, and they’ll be desperate to break that streak.
Our lads will need to be at their best to keep that from happening.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jordan Elsey (Newcastle Jets)
The experienced central defender has been a mainstay in the Starting XI for the Jets since his arrival, and his tireless work at the back has been a major contribution to our recent defensive resolve.
He was able to clear our lines six times last week against Sydney and won all of his aerial duels to keep us rock solid at the back.
The 28-year-old has shown his strong ability to play out from the back, averaging 60 successful passes per match, with a success rate of 87% – the highest of any defender in the team. He is also one of our most studious defenders when it comes to clearing away danger, with an average of almost four clearances per match.
The former Adelaide back has been solid in recent matches, and his turn of form is a huge factor for our back-to-back clean sheets. He’ll be hoping to once again lock down our 18-yard-box and repel Perth on Wednesday night.
Bruno Fornaroli (Perth Glory)
The Uruguayan live wire recently had his stellar form for Perth rewarded with his maiden Socceroos call-up.
He’s been one of the A-League’s leading strikers for several years, and his 2021/22 campaign has also been impressive.
Fornaroli has netted seven of Perth’s 14 goals so far this season, placing him in equal third on the A-League list of top scorers. His killer instinct at finding the net could be a crucial factor in this one, and we’ll need to be at our best defensively to contain him.
The 34-year-old also boasts an impressive record against our side having scored 12 goals from the 14 games he’s played against us – which includes a goal when our sides last met in 2021.
Despite that, the two-time Perth Player of the Year is without a goal in his last three matches and will be out to break his drought.
STATS & FACTS
Perth has a boastful record over the Jets across the years of the A-League, and they’ve managed to beat us twice in our previous five encounters.
Fornaroli has also scored three goals in his past five matches against Newcastle, a stat our side will look to dismiss as we hunt another clean sheet.
Contrastingly, across his 12-year A-League career, our skipper Matt Jurman has an impressive record against the Glory. The defender has been on the victorious side of fixtures against Perth nine times, and he boasts a 50% win rate over the boys from the west.
As we head into this game, our side leads the league for shots on target per match with 5.4, which is a stark contrast to Perth, who have the lowest in the competition with 3.8.
The Jets have also continued their trend of dominating possession in matches this season, leading the league with an average of 57% per match, meanwhile Perth have an average of 48%.
