Glory Head Coach David Zdrilic believes that Saturday’s home clash with Brisbane Roar has every chance of developing into a thriller (kick-off at 6:45pm WST, tickets available HERE).
Click HERE to watch his full pre-match media conference
The Queenslanders will head west having drawn three of their last four games, while Glory will be seeking a second home win of the season having gone close in each of their last four outings at HBF Park.
And Zdrilic feels that the Round 23 fixture has the potential to get both sets of supporters off their seats.
“Both teams will be mentally prepared for the game,” he said.
“They’ve added new players who give them pace in behind which maybe they were lacking a bit before.
“They’re a build up team, they’ve changed their structure a bit and they’ve got players who like to go forward, so it could be a game that gets stretched at times.
“Hopefully for us, we’ll be able to control it and continue the performances that we’ve shown at home and use that to our advantage.
“They’re in a similar position to us.
“I think they’ve been playing a lot better than their results have suggested.
“We’re both in the same boat there.”
Glory enjoyed the bye last week and Zdrilic confirmed that they made the most of the extra preparation time.
“We had a good training week, we used it to work hard and now we’re raring to go for the Roar,” he said.
“It’s important for our club to keep progressing and that means the work we did in the January window and the work we’re continuing to do in the background.
“Obviously the focus is results and that’s normal.
“The important thing for us is to win as many games as we can in the final six and prepare for a [Australia] Cup match, which is now at the end of the season as well.
“We need to make sure that we continue to show that we are performing better, changing the squad and changing the club.”
In terms of squad news, the Head Coach confirmed that Glory’s three Asian Cup-winning Young Socceroos, Adam Bugarija, Zach Lisolajski and Jaylan Pearman, returned from China unscathed and could feature on Saturday.
Defender Josh Risdon, however, will be unavailable as he serves the mandatory one-game suspension for accumulating five yellow cards.
As for Ruben Zadkovich’s Roar, either side of New Year they suffered five consecutive defeats, but since then they have collected six points from six games courtesy of a win over Sydney FC and draws against Wellington Phoenix, Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory.
Skipper Jay O’Shay remains their midfield talisman having scored three goals and added five assists, while former Glory man Henry Hore has found the net three times since returning from a loan spell with South Korean side Gangwon FC in January.
Fellow ex-Glory players Antonee Burke-Gilroy and Keegan Jelacic have been regular starters for Brisbane this term, as has versatile Lebanese international, Walid Shour.
Like Glory, Roar have won once on their travels this season, edging Sydney FC out in a seven-goal thriller back in mid-January.
Saturday will mark the 28th A-League meeting between the two clubs in WA, with Glory having claimed 11 wins to Roar’s ten.
Last season’s corresponding fixture ended in a 3-2 victory for the home side, with Adam Taggart (2) and Stefan Colakovski bagging the goals.
Match Details
Isuzu UTE A-League 2024-25 Season Round 23
Perth Glory v Brisbane Roar
HBF Park
Saturday 15 March 2025
Kick-off: 6:45pm
Perth Glory squad: 1.Oli SAIL (gk), 3.Anas HAMZAOUI, 4.Tass MOURDOUKOUTAS, 7.Nicholas PENNINGTON, 10.Nikola MILEUSNIC, 12.Taras GOMULKA, 13.Cameron COOK (gk), 14.Nathanael BLAIR, 15.Zach LISOLAJSKI, 17.Yuto MISAO, 18.Lachie WALES, 20.Trent OSTLER, 21.Luke AMOS, 22.Adam TAGGART, 23.Patrick WOOD, 25.Jaylan PEARMAN, 28.Kaelan MAJEKODUNMI, 29.Tomi MRCELA, 31.Joel ANASMO, 36.Takuya OKAMOTO
(Two to be omitted)
Ins: 4.Tass MOURDOUKOUTAS, 15.Zach LISOLAJSKI, 25.Jaylan PEARMAN
Outs: 19.Josh RISDON
Unavailable: 5.Lachie BARR (injured), 9.David WILLIAMS (injured), 19.Josh RISDON, (suspended), 24.Andriano LEBIB (injured)
Brisbane Roar squad: 1. Macklin FREKE (GK), 7. Rafael STRUICK, 8. Walid SHOUR, 10. Florin BERENGUER, 11. Asumah ABUBAKAR, 12.Lucas HERRINGTON, 13. Henry HORE, 14. Pearson KASAWAYA, 15. Hosine BIILITY, 17. Nathan AMANATIDIS, 18. Jacob BRAZETE, 19. Jack HINGERT, 21. Antonee BURKE-GILROY, 23. Keegan JELACIC, 24. Sam KLEIN, 26. Jay O’SHEA (C), 27. Ben HALLORAN, 29. Matt ACTON (GK), 35. Louis ZABALA, 47. James DURRINGTON
(Two to be omitted)
Ins: 8. Walid SHOUR, 10. Florin BERENGUER, 14. Pearson KASAWAYA, 26. Ben HALLORAN
Outs: 6. Austin LUDWIK, 43. Adam ZIMARINO
Unavailable: 3. Corey BROWN (injured), 4. Ben WARLAND (injured)
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