Canberra United can close to the gap to first place on Saturday afternoon when they take on Perth Glory at McKellar Park.
Both sides will be missing key figures through Matildas duty; Perth without superstar forward Sam Kerr and United missing Michelle Heyman and Ellie Carpenter.
Heyman has been a key figure for United so far with three goals for the season, while Carpenter’s impact since returning from Young Matildas duty has helped lead United to two straight wins.
While Kerr’s absence is a big blow to the ladder leaders and a relief for United, Rachel Hill continues to blaze a trail on the goalscoring front for Glory and will prove to be a handful this weekend.
But United have a replacement in the wings for their losses, with Norwegian superstar Elise Thorsnes ready to jump straight into the fray after arriving in Canberra this weekend.
The Avaldsnes striker scored to lead her side to cup glory last weekend, and United co-captain Ashleigh Sykes said she was a massive addition to the side.
“She gives the squad a big boost in general,” Sykes said.
“It’s very exciting, she’s come straight over from that cup win and I think she will be riding the high a little bit.”
Heather Garriock has gone with a similar squad to last week aside from the Matildas-tied Carpenter and Heyman, with Nicky Flannery remaining despite a scare in the warmup in Newcastle.
Thorsnes, Sarah Morgan, Maddy Whittall and Bethany Gordon all come back into the squad, with Aoife Colvill out for this weekend’s matchup.
The Glory will welcome back Nicole Stanton despite breaking her arm only a number of weeks ago, and she will be a big boost to the side. The Glory sit three points ahead of the chasing pack after four rounds, with their only loss coming against Adelaide when Kerr missed time.
Whether United can make her absence count will tell in this match, after two come-from-behind performances against Sydney and Newcastle.
Match Details
Saturday, 25 November 2017
Canberra United v Perth Glory
McKellar Park, Canberra
Kick-Off: 4:00pm (Local) (4:00pm (AEDT))
Referee: Rachel Mitchenson
Assistant Referee 1: Nia Southwell
Assistant Referee 2: Georgia Ghirardello
Fourth Official: Delfina Dimoski
TV Broadcast: Live coverage on foxsports.com.au/live and the FOX SPORTS App from 4.00pm
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #CBRvPER #WLeague
To purchase tickets click here.
Canberra United Squad: 1.Haley KOPMEYER (gk), 4.Toni PRESSLEY, 5.Brianna OLIVERIO, 6.Caitlin MUNOZ, 7.Nickoletta FLANNERY, 8.Liana DANASKOS, 10.Grace MAHER, 11.Elise THORSNES, 12.Bethany GORDON, 14.Ashleigh SYKES (c), 15.Sarah MORGAN, 16.Karly ROESTBAKKEN, 17.Madelyn WHITTALL, 18.Taren KING, 20.Amy SAYER, 34.Laura BASSETT, 36.Georgia BORIC (gk)
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 7.Nickoletta FLANNERY (promoted), 11.Elise THORSNES (promoted), 12.Bethany GORDON (promoted), 15.Sarah MORGAN (promoted), 17.Madelyn WHITTALL (promoted)
Outs: 19.Aoife COLVILL (not selected), 21.Ellie CARPENTER (international duty – 1 week), 23.Michelle Heyman (international duty – 1week)
Unavailable: 3.Clare Hunt (foot – 1-2 weeks)
Perth Glory Squad: 2.Sarah CARROLL, 3.Kim CARROLL, 4.Natasha RIGBY, 5.Patricia CHARALAMBOUS, 6.Danielle BROGAN, 7.Nicole STANTON, 8.Shawn BILLAM, 9.Rachel HILL, 11.Nicola BOLGER, 12.Shannon MAY, 14.Caitlin DOEGLAS, 16.Amanda FRISBIE, 17.Marianna TABAIN, 18.Melissa MAIZELS (gk), 24.Morgan AQUINO (gk)
Ins: 7.Nicole STANTON (returns from injury), 14.Caitlin DOEGLAS (promoted)
Outs: 10.Raquel RODRIGUEZ (international duty – 1 week), 20.Samantha KERR (c) (international duty – 1 week)
Unavailable: 1.Gabby DAL BUSCO (gk) (arm – 2-4 weeks), 13.Jaymee GIBBONS (ankle – 1 week)
How to Follow
This match will be streamed via Foxsports.com.au, and we will also have updates throughout on our social media accounts.
Follow @canberraunited on Twitter for live updates throughout the match, and join us in conversation. We’ll have Gameday content on Snapchat (@canberraunited), Instagram (@canberraunited) and Facebook (Canberra United W-League) too.
