Roar eyeing Boxing Day revenge

The Roar are on a roll and they're keen to make the most of it.
Unbeaten in their last 17 matches and clear leaders at the top of the A-League
ladder, Brisbane still have plenty of motivation as they prepare to face Gold Coast
United at Suncorp Stadium on Boxing Day.
In the corresponding fixture last season, United humbled Brisbane 5-1 at Skilled
Park and Roar captain Matt McKay is eager for his side to get square on Sunday.
"Not many of us are left that were in it but the ones who were remember it," said
McKay.
"We haven't beaten them yet in our past four outings and I've been a part of every
single one of those games.
"I want to right some wrongs. We've done that in the previous two weeks away to
Sydney and away to North Queensland.
"We got those monkeys off our back and we're ready for another one on the weekend."
McKay is expecting the Gold Coast to employ aggressive tactics in a bid to cause an
upset.
"I hope there'll be a bit of spice, it should be good," he grinned.
"A bit of spice never hurt anybody, it's all good.
"We want to get a result and we want to play some good football. We know our job, we
know how we want to play but we've also got to have some bite in defence and we'll
have that."
Roar coach Ange Postecoglou said his side had to maintain their intensity as rival
clubs tried to peg back their 10-point table lead with eight games remaining before
the finals.
"We've got a target on our back and we have for a while," he said.
"We're the hot team and everyone wants to knock you off.
"It's a different type of pressure but we're comfortable with where we're at."
Gold Coast United coach Miron Bleiberg is usually the joker when the media are
around and he cleverly tried to suggest Postecoglou was enjoying an easy ride
because the Roar were so far ahead of their rivals.
"They have it easy from the psychological point... playing so many games and being
so far ahead, allows them to be under less pressure," he said this week.
"Doing the maths ... I wish I was in their position."
Postecoglou found his rival's theory mildly amusing.
"The last time I heard Miron try and explain things mathematically, I thought we
were fourth after I did his sums," he laughed.
"If he wins, I'll turn my phone off for a week."