Tony Popovic says his side will be keeping a close eye on Brisbane’s in-form duo of Jamie Maclaren and Brett Holman in tonight’s Elimination Final at Suncorp Stadium.
In Brisbane’s 4-3 win against Wellington Phoenix last weekend, Holman grabbed a double and Maclaren netted his 19th goal of the season, and Popovic will be hoping his defence keeps a tight lid on the pair.
“They’re two very good players, doing very well at this moment. I think they’re a very good team all round and they have a very good balance,” the Wanderers boss said.
“Those two players are excelling at the moment and I’m sure they’ll try to continue that at the moment.
“But it would be a mistake for us to just focus on those two players. If we do that, we’ll come out of the game not getting the result that we want.
“We have to focus on our game, respect everyone of their players and their football club, which we do, but believe that we have the game plan and the players that can execute it to win the match.”
Wanderers fans will know all too well about the threat that Maclaren in particular poses: the striker has scored eight goals in his last seven games against the Red & Black.
The Wanderers and Brisbane have shared a colourful history of late and Popovic says his side will need to be at their very best to beat the Roar at home.
“With their fans and their side, we expect them to come out firing at the start.
“But we feel that we’re prepared. We’re ready, calm and composed.
“We don’t feel anxious at all going into this, we know what to expect.
“It should be a tough in a finals series, it should be tough away from home against Brisbane but that doesn’t stop us from trying to win the match,” he said.
