United v Roar – NPL Qld Rd6 Preview

 

 

 

 

United host Brisbane Roar for the first time at Coplicks this Saturday, a throwback to the former M1 derby during the club’s A-league era.

Coach Kristian Rees and Captain Michael Thwaite both recall those derbies fondly and are primed for a big clash fresh off the back of solid recent performances that brought three wins from the past three starts against Brisbane based opposition. Those wins see United sitting equal fourth on the ladder after five rounds of the 2019 competition.

 

United player to watch

Tommy Miller (#16) – Miller began his NPL journey at Palm Beach before joining the Roar youth setup and spending several seasons in Brisbane. On his return to the coast the attacker linked once more with the Sharks spending 2018 in the Gold Coast Premier League before being lured back into the NPL this season. After several telling involvements off the bench, Miller started in Rd5 against Strikers and impressed. Miller looks set to be an integral part of United’s current concerted push towards the top of the ladder.

 

 

Tom Miller and Danny Kim (Lions) in an aerial duel (Patrick Leigh Perspectives)

 

Roar at a glance

Coming in to this encounter young Roar sit 3rd on the ladder after 3 wins and a draw against the bottom four clubs and a ‘reality check’ against the undefeated Peninsula Power last start, a 3-0 loss against the current league leaders.

After winning the National Youth League the Jake Goodship coached side were tipped to be a more competitive outfit in 2019. Roar started the NPL season with a sprinkling of A-League experienced players who’ve not been seen in recent weeks. With rumours swirling about the future of  Shannon Brady’s future at the Roar doing the rounds, it’s unlikely that he’ll be part of this week’s lineup with attacking duties likely to fall on the shoulders of Cristian Aloisi and leading scorer Mirza Muratovic.

 

Past Encounters

The honours were shared in 2018, the Roar winning at Robina and United taking the points in the reverse fixture at Logan.

 

How to watch

Kick-off at Coplicks is at 5pm on Saturday.

The match will be live streamed on Football Queensland’s youtube channel.

Set a reminder at this link https://bit.ly/2IRSln6