Round 6: Brisbane Roar v Sydney FC Preview

The original and most fiercely contested W-League rivalry resumes this weekend as the Brisbane Roar take on Sydney FC in Round 6.

The Brisbane Roar will be looking for redemption after a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of the lower placed, Adelaide United; especially after the current form of the Brisbane team leading up to the encounter.

For Sydney FC it was a tough return to the W-League after a meritorious third place finish in the international Mobcast Cup held in Japan.

Facing last year's Grand Final opposition, the Sky Blues, despite scoring first, were unable to resist an in form Melbourne Victory with the encounter befittingly ending in a 1-1 draw.

As the competition nears the halfway point, both Brisbane and Sydney are keen to accrue as many points on the W-League ladder as early as possible.

With Melbourne and Canberra both winning this weekend and performing at a consistently high rate, three points will be a handy addition towards each team's finals campaign.

Nadine Angerer will be expecting a busy assault on her goals with Sydney FC fielding one of the most exciting forward lines.  Her goalkeeping in the Adelaide game was a highlight for the Roar and she'll again be very busily mustering her defence into a compact and impassable unit.

Clare Polkinghorne will once more look to lead by example and keep the team's task on point and, as a result of the suspension of Laura Alleway, backline linchpins Brooke Spence and Kim Carroll will be key to taming Sydney's inventiveness.

Kept quiet last week, a return to dominance by Katrina Gorry will enhance the clever unpredictability of the Roar's midfield and their chances of netting goals past former Roar goalkeeper Casey Dumont.

Kiwi Emma Kete continued her good form as the sole goal scorer against Melbourne.  Missing strike partner Jodie Taylor proved no major issue to Kete as she she adapted to a rejigged attack with Samantha Kerr and Caitlin Foord.

Reputable midfielder Teresa Polias will be looking to rise to the challenge of jostling for clean possession off the Roar midfielders with Nicole Bolger on hand to assist her.  Their battle against the Gorry and Elise Kellond-Knight could shape this clash.

Spearheaded by Renee Rollason, good communication in the backline will have to be at an all time high to maintain a compact defense.  Sydney will need to contain the Roars' speed on the flanks and balls crossed into the penalty area by Kellond-Knight, Hayley Raso and Amy Chapman.

Up front sees the welcome return of Jodie Taylor and Leena Khamis to bolster the Sky Blues firepower.

Season Five's Semi Final held in Brisbane was the last time these two contenders battled.  As expected, the match was fiery with each team earning three yellow cards a piece but, despite conceding early to an Emily Gielnik goal, Sydney FC held their nerve to run out 3-2 winners.

Both sides thrive for these matches as every aspect of their mental and physical training will be pushed to their limits at Goodwin Park.  A real sense of state pride tends to creep into these Brisbane Roar and Sydney FC matches and both teams, stacked with talent, will be out to prove themselves victors.

Head to Head: Played 13, Brisbane 7, Sydney 4, Draw 2

Brisbane Roar v Sydney FC

Sunday 22 December 2013

Goodwin Park, Brisbane

Local kick-off: 3pm (4pm AEDT)

Brisbane Roar squad: 1. Nadine ANGERER (gk), 3. Amy CHAPMAN, 4. Clare POLKINGHORNE, 5. Brooke SPENCE, 6. Joanne BURGESS, 7. Kim CARROLL, 8. Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT, 9. Larissa CRUMMER, 10. Katrina GORRY, 11. Vedrana POPOVIC, 14. Natasha WHEELER, 15. Brooke GOODRICH, 16. Hayley RASO, 18. Sunny FRANCO, 19. Ayesha NORRIE, 20. Kate STEWART (gk) (one to be omitted)

Ins: Brooke Goodrich, Sunny Franco (both promoted)

Outs: Laura Alleway (suspended)

Unavailable: Emily Gielnik (quad – one week), Tameka Butt (injured – 1 week)

Sydney FC squad: Casey Dumont (gk), Anna Green, Alesha Clifford, Ellyse Perry, Amy Harrison, Caitlin Foord, Teresa Polias, Nicola Bolger, Renee Rollason, Sam Kerr, Jodie Taylor, Emma Kete, Leena Khamis, Trudy Camilleri, Sham Khamis (gk), Chloe Logarzo (one to be omitted)

Ins: Leena Khamis, Jodie Taylor (both return from injury)

Unavailable: Danielle Brogan (ankle)