City football is back with another midweek fixture on the cards this Wednesday night! After picking up just one point across their last two A-League Men fixtures, Patrick Kisnorbo’s men will no doubt to hungry to snap up an all-important three points.
Here’s what to watch for on Wednesday night:
Rotation – for fitness, or otherwise
Whilst fans will now be accustomed to squad rotation for midweek games amidst this busy early December schedule, another reason we may see some personnel changes against Perth – other than for fitness reasons – may be for tactical purposes.
City’s defeat against Western United on Saturday night came as a shock to fans, and Patrick Kisnorbo will be looking for significant improvement on that performance when his team takes to the field again on Wednesday.
Whether Kisnorbo thinks that improvement can be attained via the introduction of new players to the starting lineup (which had remained the same over City’s opening three fixtures), or whether the squad is rotated merely for fitness reasons, we can only wait until Wednesday to find out.
City’s front three to be hungry for redemption
Knowing the pedigree of Mathew Leckie, Jamie Maclaren and Andrew Nabbout, there’d be little doubt that City’s front three would have been disappointed following Saturday night’s blank against Western United.
Nabbout was industrious on the right-hand side and Maclaren had a few good chances, but neither forward nor Leckie were able to make the impact needed in City’s first loss of the season.
Having passed up those aforementioned opportunities, Maclaren will be especially hungry for goals as he looks to claim a third-consecutive Golden Boot.
The striker has an impressive record against Perth Glory, netting .81 goals per game.
City to reverse a poor record against Perth
While City’s record at home in recent seasons has been strong – leading us to both a Premiership and Championship last season as you’ll no doubt remember – our clashes against Perth haven’t exactly always brought the best memories for City fans.
It may be hard to believe, but we haven’t knocked off the Glory at AAMI Park since 2016 and there’s no doubt Kisnorbo’s men will be looking to change that on Wednesday night. Our most recent clash against Perth was certainly a memorable night, a 3-1 win away from home in which Jamie Maclaren netted his 100th and 101st A-League Men goals.
Prior to that clash, we’d won just one of the eight previous meetings between teams so City fans will be hoping our number nine has his scoring boots on once again.
Your City boys need your support at AAMI Park on Wednesday night! Click here to get your tickets.
