Played
December 14, 2012 9:45 PM EST
nib Stadium — Perth

Attendance:‬ 6967‎
 
45+1′ Travis Dodd
 
49′ Travis Dodd
 
75′ (PG) Shane Smeltz
 

A-League preview: Perth Glory v Newcastle Jets

Off-field financial dramas will hang closely over the heads of the Jets' players, so how will they cope in a tricky trip to Perth to meet the Glory?

More On :  Newcastle Jets, Perth Glory, Perth Glory vs Newcastle Jets
Michael Thwaite - Perth Glory - Emile Heskey - Newcastle Jets
Getty
GOAL.com Indonesia   By GOAL.COM

  PROBABLE LINEUP
PERTH GLORY

Vukovic
Risdon, Thwaite, Van den Brink, Jamieson
Dodd, Miller, Burns, Heffernan
Smeltz, Nagai

NEWCASTLE JETS

Nash
Neville, Mitchell, Tiago, Ritter
Brillante, Zadkovich, Goodwin
Griffiths, Heskey, Taggart
The Newcastle Jets' preparations for their match in Perth have been marred by increased speculation about the finances of the club, so how they players will react when their livelihood is potentially at stake could be the key here.

Ignoring the drama in the boardroom, Jets coach Gary van Egmond could rush Adam Taggart straight into his starting line-up for the trip after the 19-year-old striker's scoring exploits with Australia national team in Hong Kong.

Taggart was a surprise selection by Holger Osieck for the East Asian Cup qualifying tournament, having only played just 96 minutes this season.

But scored two goals in Australia's final match against Chinese Taipei last Sunday and - with the Jets having failed to score in three of their past four games - Taggart may be the answer for Van Egmond's problems up front.

Van Egmond will have Ryan Griffiths and Josh Mitchell back against the Glory after they were banned from the Jets' 2-0 loss to Central Coast last Sunday, although captain Jobe Wheelhouse will still be out with a knee injury.  Tiago Calvano also returns to the squad, with James Brown the big omission.

For Perth, Michael Thwaite and Scott Jamieson will return from international duty as Ian Ferguson attempts to snap a five-game winless streak. The Glory coach is hopeful Liam Miller and Ryo Nagai will be fit enough to play, which would add much-needed creativity.

Glory have scored two goals in their past five A-League matches and, like Newcastle, have been kept scoreless in three of their past four.

Can Ferguson inject enough creativity into his team to give Shane Smeltz and Billy Mehmet a chance to score?

While Miller may be seen as the answer, the Irishman does not produce enough defence-splitting passes and Ferguson may have to throw Nagai, who impressed during pre-season, straight into action on Friday if Glory are to win.

With both teams having troubles up front and desperate to end respective two-game losing streaks, this game looks destined to go to the wire.

Three points beckon for either team if they can find a way to get their misfiring strikers to hit form.  But if the match remains level with half an hour to go, expect the beleaguered Jets to settle for a draw away from home.

Goal Australia has its own and account, so for all the latest news and features on Australian football follow us by clicking on the above links

Follow Goal.com on Twitter

Follow Goal.com on Facebook
Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • Perth Glory 2-1 Newcastle Jets
    18.52 %
  • Perth Glory 1-0 Newcastle Jets
    14.82 %
  • Perth Glory 3-0 Newcastle Jets
    7.41 %
Head to Head
Australia - A-League ‎(AUS1)‎ 08/03/2013 Newcastle Jets 1 - Perth Glory 2
  • Player Ratings
  • Match Report
  • Play by Play
  • Preview
Australia - A-League ‎(AUS1)‎ 14/12/2012 Perth Glory 3 - Newcastle Jets 0
  • Player Ratings
  • Match Report
  • Play by Play
  • Preview
Australia - A-League ‎(AUS1)‎ 03/11/2012 Perth Glory 3 - Newcastle Jets 2
  • Player Ratings
  • Match Report
  • Play by Play
  • Preview
Australia - A-League ‎(AUS1)‎ 18/02/2012 Perth Glory 2 - Newcastle Jets 0
  • Player Ratings
  • Match Report
  • Play by Play
  • Preview
Australia - A-League ‎(AUS1)‎ 31/12/2011 Newcastle Jets 1 - Perth Glory 1
  • Player Ratings
  • Match Report
  • Play by Play
  • Preview
Last Five Matches
Perth Glory
05/04/2013Melbourne Victory 2 - Perth Glory 1AUS1
30/03/2013Perth Glory 1 - Adelaide United 1AUS1
23/03/2013Melbourne Victory 2 - Perth Glory 3AUS1
17/03/2013Perth Glory 1 - Wellington Phoenix 2AUS1
08/03/2013Newcastle Jets 1 - Perth Glory 2AUS1
Newcastle Jets
29/03/2013Newcastle Jets 0 - Western Sydney Wanderers 3AUS1
15/03/2013Adelaide United 1 - Newcastle Jets 1AUS1
08/03/2013Newcastle Jets 1 - Perth Glory 2AUS1
03/03/2013Melbourne Victory 5 - Newcastle Jets 0AUS1
27/02/2013Wellington Phoenix 1 - Newcastle Jets 2AUS1
Odds
Team News
Available Squads
1Danny VukovicGoalkeeper
-Bas Van den BrinkDefender
35Dean HeffernanDefender
19Joshua RisdonDefender
14Scott JamiesonDefender
-Michael ThwaiteDefender
7Jacob BurnsMidfielder
10Liam MillerMidfielder
14Steven McGarryMidfielder
9Shane SmeltzStriker
13Travis DoddMidfielder
30Lewis ItalianoGoalkeeper
22Nick WardMidfielder
7Billy MehmetStriker
-Chris HaroldStriker
-Matthew NashGoalkeeper
12Scott NevilleDefender
-TiagoDefender
-Joshua MitchellDefender
-Dominik RitterDefender
10Ruben ZadkovichMidfielder
-Mitchell OxborrowDefender
18Emile HeskeyStriker
17J. VirgiliMidfielder
-Adam TaggartStriker
23Ryan Alan GriffithsStriker
-Jack DunnGoalkeeper
-Connor ChapmanDefender
-Craig GoodwinDefender
-Joshua BrillanteMidfielder
Results
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Daniel McBreen Daniel McBreen
Striker
Central Coast Mariners 		19 4
Jeremy Brockie Jeremy Brockie
Striker
Toronto FC 		16 2
Marco Rojas Marco Rojas
Midfielder
Melbourne Victory 		15 0
Alessandro Del Piero Alessandro Del Piero
Striker
Sydney FC 		14 4
Besart Berisha Besart Berisha
Striker
Brisbane 		14 4