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Feb 07, 2018   |  2:35AM AET

Preview: Round 20 v Brisbane Roar

Preview: Round 20 v Brisbane Roar

Besart Berisha is set to make his 100th Hyundai A-League appearance for Melbourne Victory when the club hosts Brisbane Roar on Friday.

Summary

The striker played 76 league games for Roar before joining Victory ahead of the 2014-15 season.

Berisha, the Hyundai A-League’s all-time leading goalscorer, has struck 62 times in his 99 league appearances for Victory.

He is set to become just the 10th player to make 100 league appearances for the club.

Berisha has netted eight times this season, with Victory looking to rebound from back-to-back losses when Roar visit AAMI Park.

MVCvBRI tickets

Victory was without injured duo Thomas Deng and Stefan Nigro for its trip to Newcastle, where it wasted numerous chances in a 2-0 loss to the Jets.

It is set to regain Jason Geria, who also missed the Round 19 clash due to suspension.

Having provided 11 assists in the league this season, Leroy George made his return from a hamstring injury with an appearance off the bench, while goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas came off in Newcastle after a heavy collision.

Victory sits fifth on the table ahead of the visit of Brisbane, which is seventh and three points outside the top six.

In two meetings this season, Victory was held by Roar before claiming three points in Brisbane.

Player in focus

What they said

“Inconsistency has been our biggest letdown this year, there’s been a lot of ups and downs. We get to a point where we win two or three on the trot and you think ‘here we go, we’re on the move again’ and then in the last two weeks we’ve had two losses. We continue to work hard during the week and we need to make sure we turn up on Friday.” – Victory goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas.

Last time

Hyundai A-League 2017/18 Round 11
Brisbane Roar 1-2 Melbourne Victory
Sunday, December 17, 2017
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Victory overcame Roar when the teams met late last year in Brisbane.

George set up goals for Rhys Williams and Kosta Barbarouses in the opening 20 minutes and Victory held on despite Massimo Maccarone’s second-half strike.

Head to head

Round 11, 2017/18: Roar 1-2 Victory at Suncorp Stadium
Round 6, 2017/18: Victory 1-1 Roar at Etihad Stadium
Last 32, FFA Cup 2017: Roar 1-5 Victory at Perry Park
Semi-Final, 2016/17: Victory 1-0 Roar at AAMI Park
Round 24, 2016/17: Roar 1-0 Victory at Suncorp Stadium