Sunday’s second A-League Round 19 match is between Brisbane Roar and Newcastle Jets. The opening kick-off is set to commence at 5pm (AEDT) with the game to be played at Suncorp Stadium. The home team Brisbane Roar are the favourites for the match. View our preview and teams for the game between Brisbane Roar and Newcastle Jets.

Round: A-League Round 19, Sunday, February 16 at 5pm (AEDT).
Stadium: Suncorp Stadium
Head to head: Played: 26 – Wins: Roar 9, Jets 10, Draws: 7
Previous encounter: Roar 0-2 Jets, December 20, 2013

Brisbane Roar $1.44 vs Newcastle Jets $7.00 at Sportsbet Australia get a $250 FREE BET on this match

Brisbane Roar $1.42 vs Newcastle Jets $7.00 at Luxbet Australia get a $500 FREE BET on this match

Odds Comparison:

Brisbane Roar	1.44	1.40	1.42	1.40	1.44	1.40
Draw	4.33	4.65	4.30	4.65	4.33	4.33
Newcastle Jet	7.00	7.50	7.00	7.50	7.00	7.00

All odds are subject to change. Odds listed are correct at the time of the latest update.

Tip: Brisbane Roar to win.

Teams:

Brisbane Roar squad:
1.Michael THEO, 2.Matthew SMITH (c), 3.Shane STEFANUTTO, 5. Ivan FRANJIC, 7. Besart BERISHA, 8. Steven LUSTICA, 10.HENRIQUE, 13.Jade NORTH, 14. Diogo FERREIRA, 15. James DONACHIE, 16. Jean Carlos SOLORZANO, 18.Luke BRATTAN, 19.Jack HINGERT, 20.Matthew ACTON (gk), 22.Thomas BROICH, 23.Dimitri PETRATOS, 26. Corey BROWN
**One to be omitted**
Ins: 19.Jack HINGERT (promoted)(, 26.Corey BROWN (promoted)
Outs: 11.Liam MILLER (suspended – one week)
Unavailable: 17. Matt McKAY (ankle – one week), 25.George LAMBADARDIS (knee – season)

Newcastle Jets squad:
1.Mark BIRIGHITTI (gk), 3.Taylor REGAN, 4.Kew JALIENS, 6.Zenon CARAVELLA, 8.Ruben ZADKOVICH (c), 9.Emile HESKEY, 11.Craig GOODWIN, 12.Connor CHAPMAN, 13.Joey GIBBS, 15.Josh BRILLANTE, 16.Jacob PEPPER, 17.James VIRGILI, 19.Michael BRIDGES, 21.Sam GALLAWAY, 20.Ben KENNEDY (gk), 22.Adam TAGGART, 23.David CARNEY, 24.Mitch OXBORROW.
**Two to be omitted**
Ins: 9.Emile Heskey (return from injury), 17.James VIRGILI (Promoted), 12.Connor CHAPMAN (promoted), 23.David CARNEY (promoted).
Outs: 7.Andrew HOOLE, (suspension – one week), 27.Nick WARD (knee – short term)
Unavailable: 2.Scott NEVILLE (knee injury – long term), 5.Ben KANTAROVSKI (knee – short term), 25.Mitch COOPER (knee injury – long term), 29.Joel GRIFFITHS (suspension – one week).

Preview:

Form:

Past five matches:

Roar: DWWDL

Jets: LDLLD

The Game:

Brisbane maintained their healthy lead at the top of the A-League ladder after last weekend’s gripping 1-1 draw with the Western Sydney Wanderers. It makes it four games without defeat for the Roar and with the Wanderers not in action this weekend, Mike Mulvey’s side could open up a 10-point gap at the top with a victory here and put one hand on the Premiers’ Plate. There are no fresh injury concerns for the home side, although skipper Matt McKay is still missing with a foot injury.

Things aren’t so rosy at Newcastle with Clayton Zane’s side now going seven games without victory after their disappointing 3-2 loss at home to Wellington last Sunday. While exciting youngster Andrew Hoole misses out through suspension, marquee man Emile Heskey has been named in the squad after two weeks out with a back injury while Socceroos hopeful avid Carney could also make his club debut. The Jets won’t fear heading to Suncorp, having lost just twice from 12 games at the venue.

The big issue:

Roar – They may be the most successful side of the last few seasons but there’s something about coming up against the Jets that doesn’t agree with the men in Orange. Brisbane haven’t won any of their last four games against the Jets, including two defeats both home and away already this campaign. Form might be on the Roar’s side but they need to overcome their Newcastle hoodoo to get the points in this one.

Jets – If Newcastle are to stop the rot and get kick-start their finals hopes then they will need to start games much better. Of the last 11 goals the Jets have scored in the A-League, nine of those have come in the second half as they try and salvage something from the game. Against a Brisbane side at the peak of their powers, they can’t afford to be playing catch-up again.

The game breaker:

Besart Berisha – If there were any question marks over how Berisha would perform since announcing his move to Melbourne Victory for next season, the Albanian has answered them emphatically. One of the best marksmen to ever grace the A-League, Berisha seems to be hitting top gear at just the right time and has bagged three goals in his last four appearances. If Brisbane are to end their Newcastle nightmare, expect Berisha to play a leading role.

Prediction: Roar 3-1 Jets

If you look purely at the team lists and recent results then this looks like the easiest game of the weekend to predict. Brisbane should have no trouble continuing their charge towards the minor premiership while the Jets could edge closer to the A-League basement. But as we should know from this competition, nothing is ever as simple as that. The Jets match up well against Brisbane and have some vital experience and firepower back on deck. They head north with plenty to prove but nothing to lose. The Roar’s home form has also been patchy, which is another reason for Newcastle to feel they have hope of pulling off another upset…but it won’t happen.

Source: www.footballaustralia.com.au