Glory are on the road again later today as they look to return to winning ways against Western Sydney at Marconi Stadium.
Last week’s narrow 3-2 loss to reigning Premiers Canberra United may have been a tough result to swallow, but there were plenty of positives to emerge from the Round 5 clash, notably 16-year-old Lexie Moreno coming off the bench in the second half to make her debut and then getting on the scoresheet late on.
After starring for the Matildas last week in the two-game friendly series against China, in which she scored three times, captain Sam Kerr returns to the squad as Bobby Despotovski’s side look to strengthen their position atop the Westfield W-League ladder.
And the in-form striker is set to be joined by Raquel Rodriguez who also returns from international duty, in her case with Costa Rica, while Nikki Stanton could link up with her fellow-import in midfield after recovering from a broken arm.
This week’s opponents provide a fresh challenge for Perth, with the Wanderers sitting in 7th place on four points having played one game less than the visitors. They may have only recorded the solitary win thus far, but it came against Adelaide United, who defeated Glory 3-1 back in week three.
And while Western Sydney’s defence will have their hands full with Kerr and Rachel Hill spearheading the attack, so to will Perth, with former Glory fan-favourite, Rosie Sutton, now captaining the Wanderes.
Key Battle: Kerr v Sutton
After assisting and scoring goals for fun alongside one another last season, Sam Kerr and Rosie Sutton will line-up on Friday on opposite sides of the tunnel come. Sutton left Perth to join the New South Wales club after scoring once every other match during her second stint in WA last term, with her finishing and creativity playing a vital role in the side making the Grand Final. Kerr, meanwhile, has scored four times as many goals as Sutton this season, but it’s sure to be an interesting sub-plot in what could prove to be a pivotal clash as the season approaches its halfway mark.
Last Time We Met: January 29th 2017, Round 14, Western Sydney Wanderers 0-1 Perth Glory
The battle of the West proved a tense affair back in Round 14 last season, with Caitlin Doeglas’ stoppage-time strike sealing all three points in dramatic fashion at Popondetta Park. It was an arm-wrestle for the majority of the contest, with the final fixture of the regular season proving a tricky one for Glory. But as they had done so often over the course of the campaign, they found a way to win.
Match Details
Friday, 1 December 2017
Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Perth Glory
Marconi Stadium, Fairfield
Kick-Off: 4:30pm (Local) (4:30pm (AEDT))
Referee: Maddison Kennedy
Assistant Referee 1: Sarah Ho
Assistant Referee 2: Anastasia Filacouridis
Fourth Official: Kelly Jones
Radio Broadcast: myfootballnation.com (SWR99.9)
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tag #WLeague #YGHAT
Western Sydney Wanderers FC: 1.Jada WHYMAN (gk), 2.Maruschka WALDUS, 5.Kahlia HOGG, 6.Lo’eau LABONTA, 7.Ellie BRUSH, 8.Erica HALLOWAY, 9.Rosie SUTTON, 10.Lee FALKON, 11.Marlous PIEETE, 12.Rachel LOWE, 13.Olivia PRICE, 14.Sunny FRANKO, 15.Talitha KRAMER, 16.Alix ROBERTS, 17.Katelyn LEADBEATTER, 19.Suzi PHONSONGKHAN, 20.Trudy BURKE (gk)
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 13.Olivia PRICE (promoted), 19.Suzi PHONSONGKHAN (promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: Nil
Perth Glory: 2.Sarah CARROLL, 3.Kim CARROLL, 4.Natasha RIGBY, 5.Patricia CHARALAMBOUS, 6.Danielle BROGAN, 7.Nicole STANTON, 8.Shawn BILLAM, 9.Rachel HILL, 10.Raquel RODRIGUEZ, 11. Nicola BOLGER, 16.Amanda FRISBIE, 17.Marianna TABAIN, 18.Melissa MAIZELS (GK), 20.Samantha KERR (c), 30.Morgan AQUINO (GK)
Ins: 7.Nicole STANTON (returns from injury), 10.Raquel RODRIGUEZ (returns from international duty), 20.Samantha KERR (c) (returns from international duty)
Outs: 12.Shannon MAY (not selected), 14.Caitlin DOEGLAS (not selected), 15.Alexia MORENO (not selected),
Unavailable: Nil
#CREATEDESTINY
