Our side returns home to McDonald Jones Stadium for the final time this season on Wednesday night, as they face the high-flying Western United in hopes to spoil their party and finish the season on a high.
Our side was ruthless on Sunday afternoon as they came out 3-nil winners over Macarthur and ended their push for the A-League finals.
Western United have plenty to play for though, as they currently locked in a battle for the premiership even though they hopes were dented following their loss to Central Coast Mariners on the weekend.
Although our team can no longer qualify for finals, our team are fighting to avoid the Australia Cup play-offs, and will be out to spoil the party for our opponents and finish what has been a progressive season on a high. A win tomorrow night would be a fitting send-off for our loyal home fans.
Here’s the full breakdown of Wednesday night’s clash:
NEWCASTLE JETS V WESTERN UNITED
Date: Wednesday 4th May 2022
Kick-off: 7:05pm
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium
How to Watch: SECURE YOUR TICKETS
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Played: 6
Jets: 2
Draws: 1
Western: 3
FOR THE FANS
Our side plays their final home game of the season in this fixture and will be looking to end a string of disappointing results at home to give the fans something to cheer for.
Despite our recent form at home, we have made it difficult at times for teams to play in Newcastle and have taken points in more than half of our games at home this season.
Western are currently near the peak of the A-League ladder and are in a three-way battle for the Premier’s Plate. However, their recent form away from home has been questionable, and they have won just one game on the road since the beginning of March. The team from Victoria have also tasted defeat in their previous two games, and have only won two games from their previous five starts.
Despite that, Western do have a strong winning record against our side and have managed to keep our side scoreless three times since their introduction to the league in 2020.
Although our Jets won two of the first three encounters against Western, we will be looking to break a four-match losing streak against them this Wednesday night.
THE RACE IS ON
Although finals football is out of reach for our side, we still have plenty to play for as we look to finish a year of growth on a high.
Beka Mikeltadze will be desperate to finish the season strongly as the race for the A-League Golden Boot Award heats up in the final rounds.
The Georgian Gun is in a two-horse race with Melbourne City’s Jamie Maclaren leading the way by just one goal, but our man is rapidly gaining on the Socceroos striker and will hope to add to his tally tomorrow night.
United striker Aleksandar Prijovic is also an outside chance of taking out the award but would need to finish the season with a couple of stellar performances to make up the five-goal difference between Mikeltadze and Maclaren.
Prijovic is in good form, however, and has been swiftly climbing the A-League goal scorer’s leader boards following three goals in his previous five matches. Meanwhile, Mikeltadze found the net on Sunday for the first time since his scintillating hat-trick against Perth in our 6-0 win at home.
Regardless of the result or where either side finishes on the A-League table, it goes without saying that fans should expect a mouth-watering battle between two strikers contending for top spot in the Golden Boot race.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kosta Grozos (Newcastle Jets)
This budding youngster is quickly setting himself up to be a mainstay in our side’s squad for seasons to come.
The 21-year-old has performed well in our midfield, providing a strong platform for our side to attack from.
The Western Sydney junior played a modified role on Sunday against the Bulls, operating as a central attacking midfielder in replace of Daniel Penha.
In this new role, Grozos was extremely effective with 47 touches, a 79% completion rate of his attempted passes, and he also managed one key pass in his 82 minutes on the pitch.
The hardworking midfielder put up a similar display against the Central Coast a week prior, in a match where he had 50 touches and 80% passing accuracy, and won over half of his duels in 72 minutes.
Kosta has stood up in recent weeks with the absence of Daniel Penha, and has proven that he is more than capable of plugging the gap in terms of workrate. He will be looking to improve on these recent performances on Wednesday night.
Neil Kilkenny (Western United)
From one studious midfielder to another, Kilkenny has been a vital part of Western United’s strong performances this season, and he’s been one of their best in recent weeks.
The 36-year-old is at the opposite end of his career when compared to our own Kosta Grozos, but is proving age is only a number with a string of solid performances in midfield for his side.
Kilkenny was one of United’s best in their 1-0 loss to the Mariners last week – he had 83 touches of the ball, and completed 80% of his passes while also managing to win every duel in his 89-minute performance.
The 132-game-veteran is Western United’s leader when it comes to passing statistics, and is their highest ranked player for accurate passes per 90 minutes with 55. He also boasts an impressive pass completion rate of 81%.
Our side will need to be up for the midfield battle if we are to stop him from having a significant impact.
STATS & FACTS
Western United have won their past four matches against our side which includes their FFA Cup playoff win earlier in the season.
Our opponents lead the league for clean sheets this season with nine, but the visitors will have their hands full with our side who have only been held scoreless three times in 24 matches this season.
Despite our shaky recent form, our side still remains the best in the league for possession stats with an average of 56% per 90 minutes, which is in direct contrast to our opponents who are second last for this stat with just 46%.
Beka Mikeltadze requires just one goal to move into the Jets top ten all-time scorers list which would be a remarkable achievement considering the striker is only in his first season with our club.
Our side has scored more goals at home than any other A-League team this season with 28 – the next highest is 25 – posing a key indicator of our attacking potency when playing at McDonald Jones Stadium.
