Glory will be looking to bounce back into the winner’s circle this Sunday when they take on Melbourne Victory at nib Stadium.
The women succumbed to their first loss of the season at Adelaide United last Friday, with captain Sam Kerr and fan-favourite Nikki Stanton both unfortunately missing the 3-1 defeat through injury.
The squad, who remain top of the Westfield W-League despite that reverse, cannot wait to be back in front of the Glory faithful in what should an entertaining encounter against a revitalised Victory side (7th) who are fresh off a bye in Round 3.
Key Match-Up: Kim Carroll v Natasha Dowie
Two top quality international players will go toe-to-toe on Sunday in what promises to be an intriguing duel. Dowie, the Victory skipper, has continued her fine goalscoring form in the W-League, with her 64th-minute strike against reigning Premiers Canberra United earning the navy-and-whites the three points in Round 1. It was a tough game at the back for Glory last week, meanwhile, but Carroll’s character and experience will surely enable her to return to her best on what is set to be a big occasion at nib Stadium.
One-to-Watch: Shawn Billam
Billam was tasked with filling Stanton’s boots when the American broke her arm against Brisbane in Round 2 and has responded superbly. The midfielder was central to almost everything positive for Glory in Adelaide, with her work-rate and willingness to not only try and create, but also make crucial tackles, one of the bright spots in what was a largely forgettable match for Bobby Despotovski’s side. The 25-year-old will be hoping to consolidate her place with another inspiring performance come Sunday.
Last Time We Met: Perth Glory 3-2 Melbourne Victory
If last season’s match-up is anything to go by, this weekend’s clash should be an absolute belter. Rosie Sutton’s dramatic 85th-minute goal sealed a thrilling 3-2 win for Perth in what was arguably the most entertaining game of the season at Dorrien Gardens. After Kerr opened the scoring in the 50th minute, two own-goals from Arianna Romero and Alyssa Mautz in the space of just seven minutes helped Melbourne grab an unlikely lead. Glory, however, showed real heart to claim all three points, as Vanessa Di Bernardo’s equaliser with ten minutes remaining set the stage for Sutton to crash home the winner.
Did you know?
Victory’s Head Coach Jeff Hopkins enjoyed a distinguished playing career in the UK, notably with Fulham and Crystal Palace for whom he made a combined total of nearly 300 appearances. The Swansea-born defender was also a part of the Wales squad that narrowly missed out on qualification for the 1986 World Cup.
Match Details
Sunday, 19 November 2017
Perth Glory v Melbourne Victory
nib Stadium, Perth
Kick-Off: 1:30pm (Local) (4:30pm (AEDT))
Referee: Katie Patterson
Assistant Referee 1: Avrol Beecham
Assistant Referee 2: Joanna Charaktis
Fourth Official: Matthew Southern
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tag #WLeague #YGHAT
To purchase tickets, click here: http://bit.ly/2hGwYbu
Perth Glory Squad: 2.Sarah CARROLL, 3.Kim CARROLL, 4.Natasha RIGBY, 5.Patricia CHARALAMBOUS, 6.Danielle BROGAN, 8.Shawn BILLAM, 9.Rachel HILL, 10.Raquel RODRIGUEZ, 11. Nicola BOLGER, 12.Shannon MAY, 13.Jaymee GIBBONS, 16.Amanda FRISBIE, 17.Marianna TABAIN, 18.Melissa MAIZELS (GK), 30.Morgan AQUINO (GK)
Ins: Nil
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 7.Nicole STANTON (Broken arm – 5 weeks), 20.Samantha KERR (Quad – 1 week)
Melbourne Victory squad: 1.Casey DUMONT (gk), 2.Whitney KNIGHT, 3.Alex GUMMER, 5.Laura ALLEWAY, 6.Annabel MARTIN, 7.JEON Ga Eul, 8.Angela BEARD, 9.Natasha DOWIE, 10.Kyra COONEY-CROSS, 11.Melinda.J BARBIERI, 13.Laura SPIRANOVIC, 14.Melina AYRES, 16.Lia PRIVITELLI, 17.Gulcan KOCA, 18.Tiffany ELIADIS, 20.Bethany MASON-JONES (gk), 31.Christina GIBBONS
**two players to be omitted**
Ins: 2.Whitney KNIGHT (promoted), 3.Alex GUMMER (promoted), 11.Melinda.J BARBIERI (promoted)
Outs: 19.Kristen MCNABB (injured)
Unavailable: Nil
#CREATEDESTINY
