3 minute read
Macarthur FC coach Ante Milicic is backing his team's quality to shine and get the A-League Men's club back in the finals positions against Brisbane.
Macarthur FC coach Ante Milicic is keeping a calm head despite the Bulls dropping out of the A-League Men's top six for just the second time this season.
A 1-0 loss to Adelaide United last week and results elsewhere mean Milicic's team have slipped to seventh on the ladder ahead of Friday's visit to Campbelltown Stadium by Brisbane Roar.
After being top of the league early in the campaign, the Bulls have got five games remaining as they look to make back-to-back finals in their first two seasons in the competition.
Since the start of March, the Bulls have won just two of eight matches and lost five of those fixtures.
Despite that form, Milicic knows his team have games in hand over sixth-placed Sydney FC and he's far from hitting the panic button.
"You can see that it's a very difficult league, it's very unpredictable," Milicic told AAP.
"It's been a season like no other.
"We're in a good position. We're at home. There's enough quality in the group to finish off the season in the correct manner and we expect a decent performance tomorrow."
Despite the result against Adelaide, Milicic was satisfied with his team's performance and happy to see Socceroo Tomi Juric get some much-needed minutes off the substitute's bench after an injury-ravaged campaign.
Charles M'Mombwa will also come back into the frame for selection after being suspended for the trip to South Australia following his red card in the 4-2 loss to Perth Glory.
The Roar claimed a 3-1 win over the Bulls when the two teams met earlier this season, one of just six wins for Warren Moon's 10th-placed team all season.
Milicic labelled his team's first-half display in that loss at Moreton Daily Stadium as the worst 45-minutes in the club's short history but he's expecting the Roar to be a gritty opponent after their recent performances on the road in draws against Western Sydney and Melbourne Victory.
"We were very disappointed from that performance and we didn't deserve to get anything from the game," Milicic said of the February 13 loss to the Roar.
"It's another opportunity at home against Brisbane to show that we're a better side than the last time we played them.
"In saying that, their last two performances, against Victory away and Wanderers away have been excellent. They've deserved the draw that they've had in those two (games), so we know we're going to be in for a tough game."
