Monday, 30 March 2009 9:37 AM
The Whittlesea Zebras will host South Melbourne at Bob Jane Stadium on Tuesday night.
With the Zebras finding themselves in uncertainty regarding the availability of their usual home ground of Epping Stadium, an agreement was reached late in the week between the two clubs and Football Federation Victoria to play the match at Lakeside.
The teams will come into the game in contrasting form. Whittlesea have opened the 2009 season with four straight losses and without scoring a single goal. In contrast, South have won their last two encounters against rivals Preston and Melbourne Knights, scoring 9 goals in the process.
If the Zebras are to trouble South they will need to take the game to them from the outset. In a stadium and environment that the South players are used to, it is vital for the Zebras to gain the early ascendancy in order to silence the parochial South fans.
To do this, their experienced players really need to step up, including Josip Kozic, Terry Antoniadis and Steve Martin. All three face the tough task in instilling belief and confidence into the struggling squad. Former South striker Tex Apostolikas will be looking to provide his side with their first goal of the 2009 campaign. To do this he must be ready to convert any opportunities that come his way.
The main factor in South’s great form in the last few weeks has been the supremacy throughout the midfield, with both Joseph Youssef and Sebastian Petrovic dominating, whilst the flamboyant Fernando De Moraes has rediscovered his form, as well as chipping in with a goal last week against the Knights.
In attack, South will rely on the veteran Kiwi Vaughan Coveny, who with Goran Zoric provides South with one of the most dangerous and potent attacking partnerships in the competition. The duo have scored a combined total of 5 goals in the past two weeks and Coveny is just two goals shy of 100 league goals for South, with his 98th coming in last weekend’s 2-1 win over the Knights.
Kick-off on Tuesday is at 8.30pm, with South fans needing to purchase a ticket for the contest as South is the away side even though the match is at Bob Jane Stadium. Whittlesea members will have the same entry entitlements as per their membership