Melbourne City FC’s busy schedule of home games rolls on with a Friday night clash against Newcastle Jets in the A-League Men.
The team will be looking to bounce back from its loss against Adelaide United midweek, but that task could be made all the more difficult given the injury news to have come out of the tough fixture.
City had two players substituted off with injury on Tuesday, with Marco Tilio and Scott Jamieson both taking an early leave against the Reds. Tilio struggled with calf soreness throughout the first half and was substituted for Stefan Colakovski in the 41st minute, whilst Jamieson suffered a hamstring strain following a duel on the wing in the 52nd. Given the minor nature of the injuries, both players will hope to be back in contention for Friday’s Newcastle Jets clash.
City fans will have been pleased to hear Head Coach Patrick Kisnorbo confirm in his pre-match press conference that Tilio’s injury wasn’t too serious, but the gaffer did also mention Jamieson would need to get through training on Thursday to prove his fitness.
In the event that neither is able to make a return to fitness in time, Mathew Leckie and Jordan Bos loom as the likely beneficiaries. Leckie had been rotated against Adelaide following a busy – though productive – week prior, netting three goals in City’s wins against Newcastle and Western Sydney.
Bos hasn’t featured in the past three matchday squads as he was rested following two consecutive league starts, in which the 19-year-old showed more than enough to prove that he’ll be a capable replacement for his skipper at left-back if he’s needed on Friday.
The make-up of City’s back four in general will also be of much interest to fans. Nuno Reis returned from injury via the bench on Tuesday night, while Rostyn Griffiths was rested. Both could be in line for a re-call to the XI, should either Curtis Good or Carl Jenkinson require a rest after plenty of minutes played in recent fixtures.
