Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United commence Round 9 action in a double header at Suncorp Stadium.

Adelaide United enjoyed a break last weekend following their 2-1 win over Melbourne Victory in a mid-week match, and will enter this week’s clash full of confidence.

The self-belief within the Brisbane Roar ranks remains questionable as they were yet again unable to come away with three points last week after an 85th minute goal from Sydney FC tied the fixture up at 1-1.

After a slow start, Brisbane Roar settled into the game, with Katrina Gorry being instrumental in the development of some quality attacking combinations.

Gorry’s link up play with Hayley Raso, Amy Chapman and Emily Gielnik afforded the Roar a number of opportunities to get in behind the Sky Blue’s defensive line.

A composed touch and confident finish from Tameka Butt sent the Roar into a well-deserved lead in the 66th minute.

As has frequently been the case for Brisbane this season, their inability to capitalise on the many chances they created meant that the single goal was not enough to maintain the lead, with Sydney’s Jasmyne Spencer managing a late equaliser against the run of play.

Despite an encouraging overall performance from the Roar, the 1-1 draw has seen them extend their disappointing string of results to just one win from their last eight games.

Conversely, Adelaide United have continued their surprising run of form with a 2-1 win over the Melbourne Victory in a rescheduled Round 12 fixture.

The Lady Reds were unlucky to head into the break a goal down after Melissa Barbieri initially blocked a second minute penalty but was unable to keep out the follow-up shot.

A strong performance in the second half culminated in Adelaide being awarded a penalty of their own, and Lisa-Marie Woods made no mistake from the spot in the 80th minute.

The goal enabled the Lady Reds to push their performance to the next level and their efforts were paid off when a fantastic long-range strike from Tiarn Powell put them into the lead.

The excitement continued right up until the final whistle, with the Victory hitting the bar from yet another penalty in the dying minutes of the game. The 2-1 result was Adelaide’s first ever win over Melbourne Victory, and extended their winning streak to an historic three consecutive games.

This week both Brisbane and Adelaide will have a number of their youngsters unavailable as a result of the Young Matildas ongoing AFC U19 qualifying campaign in Vietnam. The Roar will be aiming to utilise Katrina Gorry to full effect in their attempts to dominate the midfield.

Tameka Butt, Amy Chapman and Hayley Raso will continue to provide the Roar with incredible attacking potential, but their ongoing lack of a decided goal scorer this season remains a major concern.

The Roar front line will be eager to find some form in front of goal, particularly when coming up against a goalkeeper as formidable as Adelaide’s Melissa Barbieri.

In recent weeks, Lisa-Marie Woods has become increasingly threatening in front of goal for Adelaide, frequently pushing forward from midfield to inflict considerable damage upon opposition back lines.

Katrine Pederson is also one to watch for the Lady Reds, with her consistent strong performances from midfield indicating she could prove to be very influential in this week’s match.

The Brisbane Roar defence will also need to keep a careful watch on captain Kristy Moore as she looks to add to her goal tally.

Adelaide will be aiming to repeat their last performance against the Roar, which ended in a 1-0 victory for the Lady Reds in Round 5 of last season.

Brisbane Roar’s increasing desperation for a win, coupled with Adelaide’s growing confidence, will be sure to result in a strongly-contested and entertaining match at Suncorp Stadium this weekend.

Brisbane Roar v Adelaide United

Saturday 8 November 2014

Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

(Hyundai A-League double-header)

Local kick-off: 3.30pm (4.30pm AEDT)

Brisbane Roar squad: 1. Nadine Angerer (gk), 2. Laura ALLEWAY, 3. Amy CHAPMAN, 4. Clare POLKINGHORNE (c), 5. Brooke SPENCE, 6. Hayley RASO, 7. Kim CARROLL, 8. Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT, 10. Katrina GORRY, 11. Vedrana POPOVIC, 13. Tameka BUTT, 14. Natasha WHEELER, 17. Emily GIELNIK, 19. Ayesha NORRIE, 20. Kate STEWART (gk)

Ins: Nadine Angerer (returns from international duty)

Outs: Teagan Micah (omitted)

Unavailable: Larissa Crummer, Sunny Franco, Angela Beard, Brooke Goodrich (all Westfield Young Matildas)

Adelaide United squad: 1. Melissa Barbieri (gk), 3. Danielle Brogan, 5. Jesse Wharepouri, 7. Katrine Pedersen, 9. Lisa-Marie Woods, 12.Daila-Tais Borg, 14. Rachel Alonso, 15. Jenna McCormick, 16. Katie Holtham, 17. Tiarn Powell, 19. Gabby Bentley, 20. Sarah Willacy (gk), 22. Elysha Magor, 23. Kristy Moore (C)

Ins: Jessie Wharepouri, Rachel Alonso, Lauren Steer, Gabby Bentley, Elysha Magor (all promoted)

Outs: Monique Iannella, Isabel Hodgson, Dylan Holmes, Emily Condon, Alex Chidiac (all Westfield Young Matildas)

Unavailable: none