The A-League reaches gameweek 19 this weekend as Brisbane Roar travel to Campbelltown Stadium to face Macarthur on Sunday.
Both of these teams are perched just outside the playoff places - Macarthur are eighth and Brisbane Roar are ninth in the A-League table.
Match preview
Mile Sterjovski's Macarthur are aiming to get their playoff charge back on track against Brisbane Roar - they come into the fixture off the back of three defeats in their last four matches.
Macarthur are still reeling from a humbling by local rivals Western Sydney Wanderers last time out - the Bulls went down 4-0 to two goals in each half at CommBank Stadium.
A 2-1 victory over Wellington Phoenix on February 12 was Macarthur's only success in their last six matches - a sequence that included a 6-1 hammering away at league leaders Melbourne City.
Sterjovski's side could really do with three points at the weekend to lift the mood around the club, although despite their poor form, a win for the hosts on Sunday could take them level on points with sixth-placed Sydney FC.
Macarthur have been goal-shy all season - right-back Matthew Millar is the Bulls' top-scorer with only four goals in 18 matches - and as a team they have scored five times in as many games.
Sterjovski's side will need their attacking players to increase their output if they are to finish in the top six, as centre-forwards Bachana Arabuli, Al Hassan Toure and Lachlan Rose have netted just seven times between them this season.
Nick Green's Brisbane Roar travel to Sydney off the back of a 2-1 victory at home to Perth Glory last weekend, a win that ended a run of seven matches without a win.
The Roar are on a four-match winless streak away from home with their last success on the road coming against struggling Melbourne Victory on January 6.
The meeting with Macarthur feels like a season-defining one for Green's side - a rare away win could put them just a point outside the playoff places, but a loss will leave them four points behind their hosts and they could even end the weekend bottom of the division depending on other results.
Brisbane's tally of 15 goals in 18 matches is the lowest in the A-League - Jay O'Shea and Carlo Armiento are the Roar's joint top-scorers with only three strikes each.
The Lions' league-high defensive record of just 20 conceded in the campaign is what has kept them in with a shout of finishing in the playoff places - centre-back Kai Trewin has played in every game this season alongside captain Tom Aldred, who scored the equaliser in last weekend's win.
Team News
Macarthur are still without club captain Ulises Davila on Sunday - the Mexican has torn his meniscus and no timeframe has been put on his return.
Ex-Cardiff City man Craig Noone is out of the game with Brisbane after being sent off last weekend, so former Manchester City winger Daniel Arzani will start on the right flank in his place.
Lachlan Rose will miss the match with the Roar due to a toe injury, meaning new signing Jason Romero and Al Hassan Toure will compete to start in the lone striker role of Sterjovski's 4-2-3-1 system.
Brisbane midfielder Jay O'Shea has a fractured toe, so recent arrival Taras Gomulka will partner Rahmat Akbari in central midfield.
Nikola Mileusnic will partner Armiento upfront in the Lions' 4-4-2 formation and Louis Zabala could start at right-back in place of Jack Hingert, who went off against Perth Glory with a knock.
Macarthur possible starting lineup:
Kurto; Millar, Uskok, Susnjar, Vujica; Baccus, Hollman; Auglah, De Silva, Arzani; Romero
Brisbane Roar possible starting lineup:
Holmes; Zabala, Trewin, Aldred, Courtney-Perkins; Hore, Gomulka, Akbari, Lofthouse; Mileusnic, Armiento
We say: Macarthur 0-0 Brisbane Roar
Two of the lowest-scoring teams in the division face each other this weekend, so the match may be low on quality and goalmouth action.
The visitors will be hoping to back up their win last time out with another here, but a draw is the most likely outcome.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
body check tags ::
Previews by email
