Fresh off the back of ending their three-game losing streak, Newcastle Jets go head to head with Brisbane Roar at the McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday.
The visitors head into the weekend unbeaten in four of their last five away games against Arthur Papas's men and will be looking to continue in the same vein.
Match preview
Newcastle Jets returned to winning ways in the A-League as they secured a 2-1 victory away to Central Coast Mariners when the sides squared off last Sunday.
In an action-packed contest at the Central Coast Stadium, Trent Buhagiar and Beka Mikeltadze scored either side of Jason Cummings's 53rd-minute equaliser to hand the hosts a second consecutive defeat.
The Jets were previously on a run of three consecutive losses, suffering defeats against Western Sydney Wanderers, Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City while conceding eight goals and scoring once in that time.
Arthur Papastamatis's side have picked up three wins and lost three of their six matches to collect nine points and sit sixth in the A-League standings, one point above Macarthur just outside the playoff places.
While Newcastle Jets will be looking to build on Sunday's result and strengthen their position in the table, next up is a Brisbane Roar side who are unbeaten in six of their last seven encounters, claiming four wins and two draws since April 2019.
Warren Moon's side, on the other hand, were denied successive league victories for the first time this season as they played out a 1-1 draw against Adelaide United at the Kayo Stadium last weekend.
In a game where Spanish midfielder Isaias received his marching orders, George Blackwood put the Reds ahead in the 72nd minute before Jay O'Shea restored parity from the penalty spot in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Prior to that, Warren Moon's side picked up their first win of the season when they edged out 10-man Sydney FC 3-1 to end their run of five straight games without a win across all competitions.
Off the back of an 11th-placed finish last season, Brisbane Roar have endured a slow start to the new campaign and currently sit 10th in the league standings, level on seven points with Wellington Phoenix and Central Coast Mariners.
Team News
Following a morale-boosting victory over the Mariners, Papastamatis could stick with an unchanged XI on Friday, meaning that we could see a back four of Dane Ingham, Mark Natta, Matthew Jurman and Carl Jenkinson, with Jack Duncan between the sticks.
Brandon O'Neill and Angus Thurgate should form a two-man midfield pivot, with Beka Dartsmelia, who has three goal involvements in his last four matches, pushing up the pitch.
Mikeltadze and Buhagiar were both on target against Central Coast Mariners last time out and should spearhead the attack once again alongside 24-year-old Daniel Stynes.
Henry Hore opened the scoring to fire the Roar to a 2-0 victory against Newcastle Jets when the sides met in April and the Australian midfielder will look to deliver the goods once again.
Former Southampton striker Charlie Austin has been involved in six goals in his last 10 appearances and we expect the Englishman to spearhead the Brisbane Roar attack.
Newcastle Jets possible starting lineup:
Duncan; Ingham, Natta, Jurman, Jenkinson; O'Neill, Thurgate; Dartsmelia; Stynes, Mikeltadze, Buhagiar
Brisbane Roar possible starting lineup:
Freke; Hingert, Neville, Aldred, Trewin, Courtney-Perkins; Danzaki, O'Shea, Akbari; Austin, Mileusnic
We say: Newcastle Jets 1-1 Brisbane Roar
Brisbane Roar have found a way to grind out results away from home, where they have picked up four wins and one draw from their last six matches. However, Newcastle Jets will head into the weekend with renewed confidence following Sunday's victory over the Mariners. We predict that both sides will cancel out each other's efforts and settle for a share of the spoils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
