Riley McGree and Melbourne City looking for goals against Jets

Former Jets hero Riley McGree returns to Newcastle for the first time since catapulting them into the grand final last season.

Riley McGree will return to Newcastle for the first time as an opposition player since his famous ‘scorpion kick’ goal helped the Jets reach last year’s A-League grand final.

For McGree and the club he joined for this season, Melbourne City, it’s a crucial chance to get their wobbling campaign back on track.

Warren Joyce’s City, who can now unleash the firepower of Socceroos striker Jamie Maclaren and Tottenham loanee Shayon Harrison, have just one win in their past six outings.

Opponents Newcastle are coming home with a wet sail, winning three of their past five matches including a Champions League clash on Tuesday night.

With a gulf of eight points between the Jets and the top six, Ernie Merrick’s side will be going hell for leather to make up the gap and Joyce knows it.

“If you look at their team … at their best, it was the side that got to the grand final and coulda, shoulda won it really,” Joyce said.

“They’re no mugs. Experienced, know their jobs.

“We expect a hard game, we’re ready for that, we want to test ourselves in big games and we’ve got a few good games coming up.”

Riley McGree scores his wonder goal for Newcastle against Melbourne City in the semi-final match last season. Picture: AAP

Those big games include matches against the top three on the ladder in successive weeks after their trip to the Hunter.

And Joyce has some reason to be nervous with key players walking a suspension tightrope.

Marquee Ritchie de Laet, captain Scott Jamieson and defender Harrison Delbridge are all one yellow card away from missing a match; Bart Schenkeveld, McGree, Nathaniel Atkinson and Rostyn Griffiths are two cautions away from a missed match. Joyce said the goal was to nurse them though before the slate gets wiped clean after the next four matches.

“There’s bound to be a little bit of disruption in the coming weeks because we’ve got people pending suspensions,” he said.

While McGree hasn’t returned to McDonald Jones Stadium since last year’s grand final, City have played the Jets three times in Melbourne and won each match.

McGree opened the scoring in both league wins, and Joyce wants the 20-year-old to add to his tally, which currently stands at three league goals for the season.

“The target obviously for him was double figures,” Joyce said.

“He’d settle for a goal whichever way it comes.”

Predictions: Ray Gatt. Betting courtesy Sportsbet. All times AEDT

Meanwhile, Melbourne Victory are again without Ola Toivonen, with the Swedish striker left in Australia as Kevin Muscat’s men chase a response in Auckland to last week’s 2-1 defeat at home to Perth.

Victory are also without the services of captain Carl Valeri, who misses out again with a hamstring injury, and Terry Antonis, who is suspended.

While Valeri’s absence was expected, Muscat was hoping to have his towering forward join the team in New Zealand to take on the sixth-placed Phoenix.

Instead, the Swede, who has scored 10 goals in 13 appearances, will miss out for the third week in a row, continuing the club’s shocking run with injuries to foreigners this season.

Keisuke Honda missed seven weeks with a hamstring issue, while Georg Niedermeier and Raul Baena have been restricted to just six starts each due to various ailments.

Brisbane Roar have sold their leading goalscorer Adam Taggart to an unnamed Asian club, believed to be South Korean team Suwon Bluewings.

Roar announced on Thursday they had agreed an undisclosed fee for the 25-year-old, the move subject to Taggart passing a medical. The switch comes less than 12 months after Taggart joined Brisbane on a three-year deal from Perth Glory.

Within hours of announcing the move, Brisbane confirmed young striker Dylan Wenzell-Halls had signed a new deal with the club.

The 21-year-old, who scored an injury-time winner against Sydney FC last Friday, has signed a two-year contract extension to keep him at the Roar beyond the 2018-19 campaign.

Taggart has been one of the bright sparks in an underwhelming season for the Roar, scoring 11 goals in 18 appearances.

Only Sydney FC’s Englishman Adam Le Fondre (12) has more goals in the A-League this season.

Despite Taggart’s importance to the Roar, they have obviously decided to cash in on him.

“Adam has been a good servant for Brisbane Roar since his arrival and we wish him well with the next step in his career,” chief executive David Pourre said. Taggart battled injury for the past two seasons before he linked up with the Roar.

“I’m confident that the club can turn things around and have more success in the future,” he said.

AAP