The battle of the cellar dwellers is a very important affair for both clubs.
Reigning champions Sydney FC are slowly getting back to decent form with a win (3-0 over Perth) and a draw (1-1 with Brisbane) in their past two but they still remain at the foot of the table.
Newcastle Jets are going beautifully off-field but it is their on-field showings which have come under scrutiny with a measly two points coming from their last three matches, resigning them to second bottom with just one win from 10.
The Jets' main problem is scoring goals and their five so far this season is nowhere near good enough but in their defence, injuries to key attackers has held them back. Chinese striker Zhang Shuo and the promising Sean Rooney may be able to alleviate some pain in the forward third but I fear that it may be enough to net a winning score.
This looks a great opportunity for the Sky Blues to pull themselves off the foot of the table and if their last two performances are anything to by, a win is at their beck and call.
Verdict:Sydney 2-1
Sydney FC v Newcastle JetsDate: Sunday, 7 November 2010 Venue:Sydney Football Stadium, SydneyLocal kick-off: 5.00pm local Head-to-Head: All matches (played 17): Sydney FC wins 9, Newcastle Jets wins 3 (5 draws) Referee Chris Beath
Live and exclusive broadcast on FOX Sports 1, FS1 HD & Sky Sport 1 (NZ). Hyundai A-League club broadcast partner is SBS 6 (Digital) and 1233 ABC Newcastle. To purchase tickets visit www.ticketek.com.au
Sydney FC: 1. Liam REDDY (gk), 2. Sebastian RYALL, 3. Stephan KELLER, 5. Hayden FOXE, 6. Hirofumi MORIYASU, 7. Brendan GAN, 8. Stuart MUSIALIK, 9. Bruno CAZARINE, 11. Kofi DANNING, 12. Shannon COLE, 14. Alex BROSQUE, 15. Terry MCFLYNN (c), 16. Terry ANTONIS, 19. Mark BRIDGE, 20. Ivan NECEVSKI (gk), 21. Scott JAMIESON, 22. Sung-Hwan BYUN, 24. Dimitri PETRATOS *three to be omitted* In: Nil Out: Nicky Carle (Foot - 4 Weeks) Unavailable: Nicky Carle (Foot - 4 Weeks)
Newcastle Jets squad: 1. Ben KENNEDY (gk), 2. Taylor REGAN, 3. Adam D'APUZZO, 4. Nikolai TOPOR STANLEY, 5. Ljubo MILICEVIC (C), 6. Ben KANTAROVSKI 7. Kasey WEHRMAN, 9. Zhang SHUO, 10. Ruben ZADKOVICH, 11. Tarek ELRICH, 13. Sasho PETROVSKI, 14. Labinot HALITI, 15. Sean ROONEY, 17. Marcello FIORENTINI, 18. Marko JESIC, 19. Ali ABASS, 22.Kaz PATAFTA 40. Matthew NASH *three to be omitted* In: Taylor REGAN (promoted), Zhang SHUO (promoted), Sean ROONEY (promoted) Out: Nil Unavailable: Neil YOUNG (illness - indefinite), Michael Bridges (Knee - six weeks), Jobe WHEELHOUSE (Hip - indefinite), Brodie MOOY (Shin Splints - indefinite), Jeremy BROCKIE (Broken foot - 6 to 8 weeks)
Match fact:Newcastle Jets midfielder Kasey Wehrman is set to make his 100th Australian national league appearance. Before returning to Australia this season after spending several years in Norway, Wehrman played in the old National Soccer League, for Brisbane Strikers (52 appearances) and Perth Glory (37 appearances). However, Wehrman is in danger of being dropped for the clash after a training ground bust-up with teammate Ljubo Milicevic.
