Head Coach Bobby Despotovski is backing his rested and refreshed Glory side to provide a stern test for a star-studded Brisbane Roar outfit at Dorrien Gardens on Sunday (kick-off at 12.30pm, tickets HERE).
The women in purple have not been in action since January 23rd when they secured their first win of the season by downing Newcastle Jets 4-2 at McDonald Jones Stadium.
And Despotovski feels that the extra preparation time will prove beneficial ahead of a meeting with a Brisbane side stacked with current Matildas.
“During this extended period between games we’ve been working on reinforcing our message to the girls and on our gameplan,” he said.
“We executed our gameplan quite well against Newcastle, so we’re looking for more of the same.
“The tactics we employed and the determination the players showed was spot on.
“The win against Newcastle really lifted the positivity in the camp.
“The girls had been working on some things for so long and it was good to see the results of all that hard work.
“It lifted morale and confidence and it was great to see our youngest player, Hana Lowry, on the scoresheet.
“In terms of Sunday’s game, if Brisbane lose against us, I think that would be basically the end of their finals push.
“They have to beat us and they do have five Matildas in their squad, all of whom I’m expecting to play, so they are going to be stiff opposition for us.
“From our players, I’m expecting 100% commitment to the game as they try and spoil Brisbane’s party.”
In terms of early team news, Despotovski confirmed that goalkeeper Eliza Campbell will come back into the selection mix this weekend after recovering from a head injury sustained in the Round 10 clash with Western Sydney Wanderers.
“Eliza’s fine,” he said. “She went through the protocol for concussion and she’s ready to go.
“The competition for places is always interesting and with so many players now fit, we’ll see who stakes a claim for the goalkeeping position and across all the positions in the team.”
Glory will be out to secure a first win over the Queenslanders since November 2017, while Roar, who have picked up four points from their last two games, will be targeting a fifth victory of the season.
Match Details
Sunday, 15 February 2020
Perth Glory v Brisbane Roar FC
Dorrien Gardens, Perth
Kick-Off: 12:30pm (Local)(3:30pm (AEDT))
Referee: Casey Reibelt
Assistant Referee 1: Arvin Shanmuganathan
Assistant Referee 2: Adrien Liechti
Fourth Official: Shane Skinner
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tag #PERvBRI
Perth Glory squad: 1.Eliza CAMPBELL (gk), 3.Kim CARROLL, 5.Shannon MAY, 6.Arianna ROMERO, 7.CELIA, 8.Morgan ANDREWS, 9.Crystal THOMAS, 10.Julia SARDO, 11.Leticia McKENNA, 13.Jamie-Lee GALE, 14.Caitlin DOEGLAS, 16.Isabella WALLHEAD, 19.Hana LOWRY, 21.Morgan AQUINO (gk), 24.Natasha RIGBY (c), 28.Katarina JUKIC, 34.Tia STONEHILL
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 1.Eliza CAMPBELL (gk) (returns from injury), 10.Julia SARDO (promted)
Outs: 31.Ruby JONES (gk) (omitted)
Unavailable: Nil
Brisbane Roar FC squad: 1.Mackenzie ARNOLD (gk), 2.Carson PICKETT, 3.Celeste BOUREILLE, 4.Clare POLKINGHORNE (c), 5.Shea CONNORS, 6.Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT, 7.Indiah-Paige RILEY, 8.Kaitlyn TORPEY 9.Rylee BAISDEN, 11.Natalie TATHEM, 13.Tameka YALLOP, 18.Leah DAVIDSON, 19.Hollie PALMER, 20.Georgina WORTH (gk), 21.Winonah HEATLEY, 22.Anna MARGRAF, 23.Isobel DALTON
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 5.Shea CONNORS (new signing), 7.Indiah-Paige RILEY (promoted), 8.Kaitlyn TORPEY (promoted), 21.Winonah HEATLEY (promoted)
Outs: 10.Katrina GORRY (suspended – 1 week), 12.Allira TOBY (unavailable)
Unavailable: Nil
#OneGlory
