Robbie Slater previews Sunday’s semi-final between Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory.

How Brisbane will win it

You don’t win the Premiers’ Plate by 10 points without being the best team in the competition. Coaches, players and the media have been full of praise for Brisbane all year. And rightly so. It will be interesting to see how the week off impacts upon their squad. They’ll rely on their quartet of attackers - Thomas Broich, Besart Berisha, Dimitri Petratos on the right hand side and Henrique off the bench. They have a lot of attacking options and a very strong midfield. They like to control the game and possession which, interestingly, probably suits the Victory.

How Melbourne will win it

The Victory is the best counter-attacking team in the competition. The pace of Kosta Barbarouses and Archie Thompson and the creativity of James Troisi will be key. Like Brisbane, they play a pro-active style of football and like to control possession where possible. Kevin Muscat has been very clever at dropping off and hitting teams on the break as the season has progressed. Melbourne is most dangerous when the other team has the ball. It all sets up for an intriguing battle.

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How they will attack

The Roar will attack in waves. They pose a constant threat. More often than not they control possession. They’re very clever at using both the flanks and the inside channels. Broich is the main man here. He offloads mostly on the left. He comes in and rotates with certain players and is very influential in dictating Brisbane’s play. Matt McKay is another who will feed Brisbane’s attacking threats, particularly Berisha.

The Victory will play the 4-2-2-2 formation, which has been very effective for them this season. They’ll play without a No. 9 - an out-and-out striker – and they’ll try and exploit space in behind the flanks through Thompson and Barbarouses. That’s interesting because Brisbane will push up high given that they like to control the game. That will leave a bit of space in behind which Melbourne will look to exploit.

News_Rich_Media: Any successful club in any code has an off-field team that works just as hard, if not harder, than the players and that's certainly the case at the Brisbane Roar, as Sean Lawson found out.

Who has the strongest defence

The Victory have a had a lot of changes in this area. I think Brisbane has the better defence. That said, I expect goals in this game. Both sets of defenders will be under the pump.

What will be the strategy for each team

For Brisbane, it will be all about controlling possession and unleashing their attacking weapons. The Roar will be looking to exploit any sign of fatigue from Melbourne after their gruelling mid-week trip to South Korea.

For Melbourne, it will be about trying to hit Brisbane on the counter and hoping their legs are fresh after a hectic schedule that has included A-League finals and Asian Champions League games.

How the coaches will approach the game

There’ll be a bit of trepidation for Mike Mulvey. He’ll be aware that the Roar didn’t win either of their last two games – a draw to the Wanderers and a loss to the Mariners. But he’ll be comforted in the knowledge he has an elite squad who have had the benefit of a two week break while the Victory have been flying to all corners.

Kevin Muscat will try to use the ACL to his advantage. Rather than focus on the fatigue factor, he’ll relay to his players just how match fit they are. They’ve been sharp and in good form against teams in Australia and Asia. That should give them confidence.

News_Rich_Media: Brisbane Roar star Thomas Broich says his side are fit and excited for Sunday’s semi-final against Melbourne Victory.

Who are the key men

Broich is the danger man for Brisbane. He can score, he can create. There aren’t many in the league with his skillset.

Troisi ticks many of the same boxes for the Victory as Broich does for the Roar. In current form, he looks to be Brazil-bound.

Can the winner of this game win the grand final

100 percent.

On a scale of one-to-five – one being a bore, five being amped - how pumped are you about this one

Five.

I would describe this game as…

A clash between the two best attacking teams in the competition. There’ll be goals. Plenty of them.

My prediction:

Brisbane Roar by a goal.

Brisbane Roar vs Melbourne Victory

Suncorp Stadium

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