Melbourne City FC take on the Newcastle Jets at AAMI Park on Sunday with the Club playing its historic first home match.
The Lowdown
Round 1 saw Melbourne City FC depart Allianz Stadium with a deserved point, after sharing the spolis in a 1-1 draw away against Sydney FC. The story of the night was substitute David Villa who found the back of the net within 15 minutes of his Hyundai A-League introduction, scoring a fantastic equaliser for John van’t Schip’s side.
Villa made headlines in Australia and abroad but van’t Schip was pleased with the overall team performance, with a second-half fight-back following a stunning Corey Gameiro goal.
After dominating most of the first half, Melbourne City FC’s ball retention and forward press decreased in intensity in the second stanza and allowed Sydney to find the opening goal. van’t Schip admitted as much in his post-match press conference and has no doubt focused on that in training this week.
The Newcastle Jets come into the clash after a tight 1-0 loss to the Central Coast Mariners last Saturday. After missing a gilt-edged opportunity late in the match, the Jets were made to pay for that mistake by Mitchell Duke in the 92nd minute.
The Novocastrians have a wealth of talent in their ranks from the captain and former Dutch international Kew Jaliens to the likes of former Johnny Warren Medalist Marcos Flores and ex-Socceroo David Carney.
After the loss of Emile Heskey in the off-season, Newcastle have recruited former New York Red Bulls striker Jonny Steele — who played alongside Tim Cahill in the US’ Major League Soccer — and is an ever-present threat in front of goal.
Head to Head
Keep an eye out for Mate Dugandzic this weekend. The striker has a strong record of scoring against the Jets and will look to add to his tally this weekend. Damien Duff will also look to continue his form from last week, playing a vital role in Villa’s goal and having over 90% passing efficiency for the match.
Broadcast and Coverage
Match Details
Hyundai A-League Round 2
Sunday, 19 October 2014
Melbourne City FC v Newcastle Jets
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Kick-Off: 3:00 PM
Live and exclusive coverage on FOX SPORTS 1HD & 1 from 2.30pm (AEDT)
Tickets available from Ticketek but to catch all 13 games at AAMI Park this season, sign up as a Melbourne City FC member at membership.melbournecityfc.com.au
Follow Melbourne City FC’s Official Twitter Account and Facebook Page for all of the latest updates on match day. Check out our Coverage Map below to see when the match kicks off in key centres across the world.
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tag #MCYvNEW
Teams
Melbourne City FC:
1.Andrew REDMAYNE (GK)
3.Robbie WIELAERT
5.Erik PAARTALU
6.Aaron MOOY
7.Iain RAMSAY
8.Massimo MURDOCCA
9.David VILLA
10.Robert KOREN
11.Damien DUFF
14.James BROWN
15.David WILLIAMS
17.Jason HOFFMAN
18.Paulo RETRE
20.Tando VELAPHI (GK)
23.Mate DUGANDZIC
24.Patrick KISNORBO (C)
26.Marc MARINO
27.Ross ARCHIBALD
***two to be omitted***
Ins:
10.Robert KOREN (promoted)
15.David WILLIAMS (promoted)
17.Jason HOFFMAN (returns from suspension)
Outs:
25.Jacob MELLING (not selected)
Unavailable:
4.Connor Chapman (glandular fever – ongoing)
13.Jonatan Germano (2-5 weeks)
19.Benjamin GARUCCIO (2-5 weeks)
21.Stefan Mauk (returning from Young Socceroos duty)
Newcastle Jets:
1.Mark BIRIGHITTI (GK)
2.Scott NEVILLE
3.Taylor REGAN
4.Kew JALIENS (C)
5.Ben KANTAROVSKI
7.Jeronimo NEUMANN
8.Zenon CARAVELLA
9.Joel GRIFFITHS
10.Marcos FLORES
11.Andrew HOOLE
12.Sam GALLAGHER
13.Edson MONTANO
16.Jacob PEPPER
17.James VIRGILI
20.Ben KENNEDY (GK)
21.Sam GALLAWAY
22.Jonny STEELE
23.David CARNEY
***two to be omitted***
Ins:
5.Ben KANTAROVSKI (return from injury)
21.Sam GALLAWAY (promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable:
6.Adrian MADASCHI (calf– 1-2 weeks)
14.Billy CELESKI (groin – 5-7 weeks)
15.Josh BARRESI (knee – season)
19.Mitch COOPER (knee – 5-7 weeks)
