Brisbane Roar coach John Aloisi wary of Melbourne Victory ahead of clash with champions

BRISABEN Roar can put an exclamation mark on their title bid by beating the champions on their own turf on Friday night.

Coach John Aloisi of the Roar looks on following the round 12 A-League match between the Brisbane Roar and Melbourne City at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt) NO ARCHIVING,

BRISBANE Roar have defied the odds to be A-League front-runners with less than half the regular season remaining and can put an exclamation mark on their title bid by beating the champions on their own turf on Friday night.

It has taken until Round 15 but the Roar will finally get to test their mettle against Melbourne Victory, who despite a recent dip in form remain the popular pick for the championship.

“They’re going to be ready for it, so we’d better be,” Roar marquee man Thomas Broich said ahead of the AAMI Park showdown.

“We have worked so hard to get to where we are and we want to defend our position.”

Having been close to being wound up for financial woes in the off-season, the Roar have responded to the adversity in style under coach John Aloisi.

They top the table by a point from Western Sydney Wanderers and are seven points ahead of the fifth-placed Victory, who have stumbled recently, winning only one of their past seven games.

Yet not to the surprise of Aloisi, the Besart Berisha-inspired Melbourne team are clear favourites with betting agencies for Friday night’s match.

Thomas Broich at Brisbane Roar training.

“I don’t look at Victory not being in good form,” Aloisi said.

“I think they’re still a great side with a lot of firepower in their front four.”

It is a quartet that includes former Roar championship winners Berisha and New Zealand international Kosta Barbarouses.

Berisha has scored 10 goals this season, while Barbarouses was instrumental in the Victory’s comeback from three goals down to draw 3-3 with Central Coast Mariners last Friday.

“They showed that in the second half last week when they turned it on, (the Mariners) couldn’t control them,” Aloisi said.

‘‘With a couple of wins they can climb up the table pretty quickly and they will be there towards the end of the season.’’

In good news for the Roar, key midfielder Corona passed a fitness test on Thursday and is set to play.

Corona will be joined in Brisbane’s match-day squad by five-time championship-winning goalkeeper Michael Theo.

Having made three appearances for the Roar’s youth team as an over-age player since his return from injury, Theo will warm the bench in Melbourne, having been displaced as Brisbane’s first-choice gloveman by Jamie Young.

“That’s part of being a professional and Michael knows that,” Aloisi said.

“He wants to work his way back into the side and if he drops his head, then he won’t be ready for the opportunity. He’s not dropping his head.’’

Socceroos defender Luke DeVere will continue his injury comeback via the youth team, who play the Victory youth squad on Friday in the curtain-raiser.

Originally published as Brisbane Roar coach John Aloisi wary of Melbourne Victory ahead of clash with champions