Our Newcastle Jets Liberty A-League side return to McDonald Jones Stadium this Sunday as they take on Canberra United with the hope of extending their current unbeaten streak.
The Jets are currently enjoying a four-game unbeaten run – which includes two wins and two draws – and this weekend will face a Canberra side who are still yet to register their first three points.
Results haven’t gone the way of United so far this season, with their most recent match turning out a 6-0 loss to Sydney while our Jets managed to come from behind to gain a point against Perth thanks to an Elizabeth Eddy cracker.
Both teams come into this having missed a weekend of football though due to a postponement.
NEWCASTLE JETS V CANBERRA UNITED
Date: Sunday 30 January 2022
Kick-off: 4:05pm
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium
How to Watch: SECURE YOUR TICKETS
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Played: 19
Jets: 3
Draws: 2
Canberra: 14
BACK TO THE STADIUM
After taking a big win over Wellington last time out at McDonald Jones Stadium, our Women are back as part of the big Double Header however we’ve experienced mixed results there.
Prior to our victory back in Round Two, our most recent win at the stadium came back in February 2020.
Interestingly enough, this will be the third season from the past four that we’ve faced Canberra at McDonald Jones Stadium with either side collecting a victory.
Over our past 11 matches, we’ve only picked up a win on two occasions so our team will be looking to buck the trend and begin making the ground more of a fortress.
CATCHING UP
Our team enter this game having played the least amount of matches of any team, however despite that, we still sit only four points from the top four with multiple games in hand of those above us on the table.
However, games in hand mean that there’ll be plenty of football to be played creating a real test of our depth so collecting points early will go a long way at the pointy end of the season.
Canberra are currently a long way off finals and sit toward the bottom of the ladder but considering our poor record against the ACT club, we will need to be at our best in order to take vital points.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Tara Andrews (Newcastle Jets)
Our leading goal scorer managed two goals last time she played at McDonald Jones Stadium but has since failed to register others to her name.
Andrews leads the team with shots on target and also possesses a great successful dribbling rate of 83%.
What also works in her favour is her goalscoring record whilst playing at the stadium. Over the past two seasons, she managed to score five goals despite only sporadically playing there.
Michelle Heyman (Canberra United)
A league veteran and one of the most elite strikers in the competition, Michelle Heyman will be the key woman for Canberra this Sunday.
She’s also scored two goals so far from the six games she’s played, but last season managed double digits.
Not only is she threat with the ball having registered nine goals on target, her passing game is also dangerous with five key passes made.
If the former Matilda isn’t stopped in her tracks this weekend, it could prove costly.
STATS & FACTS
Our Jets enter this clash at home with the ambition of not only winning, but extending our unbeaten streak to five games which would equal the team record set back in 2017/18.
If we are to do that though, we’ll need to change our form against Canberra. Heading into this weekend, we’ve only beaten United on three occasions, however two of those wins have come in the past five meetings.
Overall, Canberra have got the rub over us with 44 goals to our 20.
So far this season, both our teams’ goalkeepers have been kept busy as we share two of the best saves per game numbers. Both are averaging over four per game, but have still only managed one clean sheet.
We also share almost identical pass accuracy numbers with 70% for our Jets, and 69% for our opponents.
