Brisbane Roar coach John Aloisi is confident his team can make an impact in the A-League finals should Western Sydney Wanderers fail to defeat Adelaide United.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Roar took care of their part of the final-round equation with a 3-2 win at Perth Glory on Saturday night to jump into the top six.
Henrique scored twice, after replacing the injured Brett Holman mid-way through the first half, either side of Thomas Kristensen's 40th minute goal.
Jamie Young raced off his line and left his goal wide open for Adam Taggart to give Perth the lead but the Roar goalkeeper redeemed himself when he saved a 79th minute Diego Castro penalty.
A Jacob Pepper own gal made for a tense conclusion as Perth dropped out of finals contention.
Roar will play finals unless Western Sydney beat Adelaide on Sunday, as the A-League resists calls for simultaneous kick-offs in the final round of the regular season.
"We'll be flying for the first half so that's good for the nerves and then when we land we'll probably quickly get around someone's phone and watch it," Aloisi said.
"I was privileged enough to be in one that went my way and we ended up winning the Premiers' Plate when we played on a Friday night and results went our way.
"The pressure's on them now and we'll see how they handle it.
"I actually think that it adds to the excitement."
Aloisi is confident if they do get the nod that it won't just be a one-game appearance either.
Brisbane had a slow start to the season but bounced back to make their play at the top six with seven wins and a draw in their past 11 games.
"I'm very proud of the boys," Alois said.
"A lot of other teams would have folded with things going against them like they have for us, but this group doesn't know how to.
"That's the Brisbane Roar way.
"Going back 11 games, no one thought we'd be in this position.
"In the last 11 games, we've picked up a lot of points and seven wins mean we deserve to be fighting.
"It shows the character of the group and the club, they just don't know how to give up."
Melbourne City will host the sixth-placed finishers in the first week of the A-League finals series and Aloisi has faith in his side's chances of causing havoc.
"We're hoping another result goes our way because we believe that if we are in the finals series we can win anywhere," he said.
"We've shown that already."
Australian Associated Press
