Glory Liberty A-League Head Coach Alex Epakis believes there will be tension aplenty when his side lock horns with Western Sydney Wanderers at Central Coast Stadium on Sunday (kick-off at 3.45pm WST).
Click HERE to view the full pre-match media conference.
The women in purple head into the game two places and two points above Wanderers in what appears to be a potential crossroads fixture for both sides as the regular season reaches its halfway point
And Epakis feels that his squad will certainly be aware of just how vital a victory could prove to be.
“I think it’s going to be a tense game because it’s really critical for both teams,” he said.
“I know that Western Sydney is a proud team and they haven’t probably had the consistency in their performances that they were hoping for this season.
“So, it’s a little bit similar to our situation and it’s timely that we’re playing each other.
“I think that given where both teams are and where we’re at in the competition, it might be a little bit tense to start with, but once the game finds its general flow, it should be an exciting one for the neutral and hopefully a successful one for us.”
The Glory coach, who is set to resume his place in the technical area after missing last weekend’s draw with Newcastle having tested positive for COVID-19, feels that the best is still yet to come from his squad.
“Considering all the disruptions, we put on our best performance of the season [v Newcastle],” he said, “and I think that is a really significant milestone for us leading into the second half of the season.
“We’re realistic.
“It’s the middle of the season and we’re one point out of the top four with games in front of us.
“Hopefully we can put a consistent XI out and I’m really excited about what the second half of the season looks like and there’s a sense of optimism throughout the group about what we can achieve.”
In terms of early team news, Epakis is expecting the three players who missed the Jets game after testing positive for COVID-19 to be available for selection, but confirmed that Cyera Hintzen and Demi Koulizakis will again miss out through injury.
Glory will be out to snap a run of three consecutive defeats at the hands of the red-and-blacks who have managed just the one victory so far this term.
Catherine Cannuli’s side have also struggled for goals, scoring only twice in six games, but they have been fairly impressive defensively, conceding just four times.
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