The A-League's newest club, Melbourne Heart, face their toughest test to date when league leaders Brisbane Roar come to town on Sunday.
The Heart have managed to go undefeated in their past six matches, picking up vital points on the road and putting themselves in a strong position just before the half-way mark of the season.
Coach John van 't Schip said this week that he will maintain his starting line-up rather than make changes for the sake of it which means that the Heart players will know exactly what to expect from each other and that bodes well for them putting in a good showing against the A-League's best.
Back at AAMI Park they will be hard to beat but if anybody can do it, it's Ange Postecoglou's Roar who are arguably the best side the competition has seen since its inception in 2005.
Kosta Barbarouses has shown us all that he is actually capable of scoring goals after plenty of talk about his ability in the past two years and the best midfield in the league is one that is so difficult to contain that he is likely to get plenty of supply.
This is an extremely tough game to pick but it is hard to go past the Roar who are simply irresistible at the moment.
Verdict: Roar 2-1
Melbourne Heart v Brisbane RoarDate: Sunday, 14 November 2010 Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne Local kick-off time: 5.00pm local Referee: Ryan Shepheard Head-to-head: All matches (played 1): Melbourne Heart wins 0, Brisbane Roar wins 1 (0 draws) Match fact: In terms of wins per match, Brisbane Roar coach Ange Postecoglou is becoming one of the most successful experienced coaches in Australian national league history. In 158 matches coached so far (including 127 matches with South Melbourne), Postecoglou has won 79, a winning ratio of 50.0 percent. Only one other coach with 100 national league games experience has a higher winning ratio, Eddie Thomson (51.1 per cent)
Live and exclusive broadcast on FOX Sports 1, FS1 HD & Sky Sport 3 (NZ). To purchase tickets visit www.ticketek.com.au
Melbourne Heart squad: 1. Clint BOLTON, 2. Michael MARRONE, 4. Simon COLOSIMO, 5. Michael BEAUCHAMP, 6. Matt THOMPSON, 7. Rutger WORM, 9. Gerald SIBON, 10. Wayne SRHOJ, 11. Alex TERRA, 12. Peter ZOIS, 15. John ALOISI, 16. Aziz BEHICH, 17. Jason HOFFMAN, 19. Eli BABALJ, 20. Josip SKOKO, 21. Kliment TASESKI, 22. Nick KALMAR, 23. Dean HEFFERNAN, 24. Adrian ZAHRA *four to be omitted* In: John ALOISI (returns from injury), Jason HOFFMAN (promoted), Kliment TASESKI (promoted), Dean HEFFERNAN (promoted) Out: Nil Unavailable: Brendan HAMILL (three weeks - ankle), Kristian SARKIES (four weeks - broken leg)
Brisbane Roar squad: 1. Michael THEOKLITOS (gk), 2. Matt SMITH, 3. Luke DEVERE, 5. Ivan FRANJIC, 6. Erik PAARTALU, 7. Kosta BARBAROUSES, 8. Massimo MURDOCCA, 9. Jean Carlos SOLORZANO, 11. REINALDO, 12. Matt MUNDY, 14. Rocky VISCONTE, 15. Matt McKAY (c), 17. Mitch NICHOLS, 20. Andrew REDMAYNE (gk), 22. Thomas BROICH, 23. Milan SUSAK *two to be omitted* In: Ivan FRANJIC (returns from hamstring injury) Out: Nil Unavailable: Shane STEFANUTTO (Hamstring - test), HENRIQUE (broken arm - indefinite)
