The clash
Melbourne City FC will be looking to bounce back from last week’s disappointment when it takes on Newcastle at McDonald Jones Stadium this Sunday.
City suffered its first home loss of the season in Round 9, going down 0-3 to Perth Glory last Friday night at AAMI Park.
City were suffocated by Perth and had limited chances, as they were unable to muster a genuine goal-scoring chance over the course of the 90 minutes.
Striker Jamie Maclaren had been in red hot form going into the match scoring nine goals in four games, but he was doubled marked by the Glory defence and wasn’t able to have an influence on the game.
Despite the loss, City still sits second on the A-League table and will be eager to bounce back strongly and make up some ground on Sydney FC who sit five points clear on top.
Like City, Newcastle will be desperate for three points after also suffering a disappointing loss last round.
The Jets travelled to Adelaide and played in temperatures as high as 37 degrees last Sunday.
After having conceded in the first half, Matthew Millar equalised for Newcastle in the 48th minute but a late winner from James Troisi stole all three points for the Reds.
This was despite the Jets having more possession, and a whopping 31 shots on goal with Adelaide recording just 13.
It was a frustrating result for a Newcastle team who had won its last two games and was just starting to build some momentum after starting the season slowly.
The Jets have struggled to find goalscorers, having found the back of the net eight times in seven games while City have doubled that number albeit in one more game.
Last time they met
These two teams last met earlier this year in February, with the clash coming in round 19 of last season.
That fixture was also played at Hunter Stadium and it was the Jets who were able to claim all three points at home, winning 3-1 despite City having 67% of the possession and 10 more shots.
Jair opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, before Jamie Maclaren was able to equalise in the second half.
Two late goals within five minutes stunned City and gave Newcastle the win at home.
Team news
Frenchman Florin Berenguer returns. See our full Team News here.
What was said
Melbourne City attacker Craig Noone said:
“We win together and we lost together, there’s a real sense of togetherness in the change room. We need to concentrate on ourselves and get back to our attacking style of football and our possession based football.”
What’s next?
Following Sunday night’s clash, City will return home to host Melbourne Victory in the Christmas Derby. It will kick-off at 5:00pm on Saturday 21 December and is set to be a blockbuster. To ensure you don’t miss out, buy your tickets now!
