Glory’s Joseph Mills feels that Kenny Lowe’s side will be refreshed and raring to go when they tackle Wellington Phoenix at Westpac Stadium on Saturday.
Having no fixture last weekend enabled the squad to enjoy a longer preparation period for the Round 20 clash and the 28-year-old defender believes that he and his teammates will reap the rewards in the Kiwi capital.
“Having the break gave us time to reflect on what we’ve done this season and work on some things,” he said.
“We’ve still got a third of the season left, so it’s like a mini-season within the season and it’s time to kick on now and propel ourselves towards the finals.
“We know what to expect from Wellington having played them twice already and we’ll focus on that going in.
“We’ve worked really hard in training this week and will be looking to put into practice what we’ve worked on come game day.”
The Englishman, who is hoping to force his way back into the starting line-up having missed the trip to Adelaide through suspension, went on to confirm that Glory need to start their now-traditional late-season surge immediately.
“If we don’t start now, two or three games can drift by and we’ll be playing catch-up,” he warned.
“So we’ll be looking to hit the ground running and if we can go there [to Wellington] and put in a performance, hopefully the result will follow.
“We have a lot of home games still to come and as a club we take a lot of pride from being strong at home.
“So if we can pick up some away points as well, they could prove vital come the end of the season.”
Mills is joined in the travelling party by Andreu Guerao, who has shaken off his calf injury and there is also a spot for fellow-midfielder Jake Brimmer who was not involved against Adelaide a fortnight ago.
Unfortunately, however, Chris Harold has succumbed to a quad strain which is expected to keep him out of action for a couple of weeks and Adam Taggart is still battling his way back from a hamstring injury.
For Phoenix, meanwhile, midfield linchpin Michael McGlinchey is poised to make his 200th Hyundai A-League appearance on Saturday, while former Glory ‘keeper Tando Velaphi could be handed his debut for the hosts.
Glory’s defeat at Westpac Stadium back in Round 6 was their first on New Zealand soil since 2013, with five of the last seven meetings on the chilly side of the Tasman going the way of the visitors.
This season, meanwhile, Darije Kalezic’s men have picked up two victories from nine home games, while Glory have also recorded two wins from their 11 away games.
Match Details
Saturday, 17 February 2018
Wellington Phoenix v Perth Glory
Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Kick-Off: 2:35 WST (7:35 PM Local)
Referee: Alex King
Assistant Referee 1: David Walsh
Assistant Referee 2: Andrew Lindsay
Fourth Official: Adam Kersey
Video Assistant Referee: Chris Beath
TV Broadcast: Live coverage on FOX SPORTS 501 from 5.00pm (AEDT) and Sky Sport (New Zealand)
Radio Broadcast: myfootballnation.com (6PR). ABC News on Radio, Grandstand Digital, Online & via the ABC Listen App – A-League Live.
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hash-tag #WELvPER
To purchase tickets visit www.aleague.com.au/tickets
Wellington Phoenix squad: 3.Scott GALLOWAY, 4.Goran PARACKI, 6.Dylan FOX, 7.Nathan BURNS, 8.Matija LJUJIC, 9. Andrija KALUDJEROVIC 10.Michael MCGLINCHEY, 14.Alex RUFER, 17. Monty PATTERSON, 18. Sarpreet SINGH, 19. Tom DOYLE, 21. Roy KRISHNA, 22.Andrew DURANTE(c), 23.Matthew RIDENTON, 24.Logan ROGERSON, 26.Liberato CACACE, 30.Keegan SMITH (gk), 40.Tando VELAPHI (gk)
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 19. Tom DOYLE (returns from injury), 14.Alex RUFER (promoted), 21. Roy KRISHNA (returns from injury), 24.Logan ROGERSON (promoted), 40. Tando Velaphi (promoted)
Outs: 1. Lewis ITALIANO (omitted), 2. Daniel MULLEN (knee), 12.Adam PARKHOUSE (omitted),
Unavailable: 5. Ryan LOWRY (quad strain)
Perth Glory squad: 2.Alex GRANT, 3.Marc WARREN, 4.Shane LOWRY, 6.Mitch NICHOLS, 7.Joel CHIANESE, 8.Xavi TORRES, 9.Andy KEOGH (c), 13.Nick FEELY (Gk), 15.Brandon WILSON, 16.Joseph MILLS, 17.Diego CASTRO, 18.Andreu GUERAO, 20.Jake BRIMMER, 23.Scott NEVILLE, 26.Jacob ITALIANO, 33.Liam REDDY (Gk), 66.Dino DJULBIC, 88.Neil KILKENNY
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 16.Joseph MILLS (returns from suspension), 18.Andreu GUERAO (returns from injury), 20.Jake BRIMMER (promoted)
Outs: 14.Chris HAROLD (injured)
Unavailable: 14.Chris HAROLD (quad – 1-2 weeks), 22.Adam TAGGART (hamstring – 1-2 weeks)
#CREATEDESTINY
