If Macarthur striker Bachana Arabuli continues his rich vein of goalscoring form against Newcastle, the Jets may have only themselves to blame.
Arabuli, who has three goals in four A-League Men starts for the Bulls, has quickly adjusted to life in Australia under the coaching of Dwight Yorke.
The move came after stints in his native Georgia, Spain, Hungary and Greece, with Newcastle striker Beka Mikeltadze playing a key role in luring his fellow countryman Down Under.
“I got connected here because of Mikeltadze,” Arabuli, 29, told AAP.
“We played together at Dinamo Tbilisi six years ago – he was the winger and I was the center forward.
“He had a good impact (in Australia) and he has opened the door, not only for me but also all Georgian players and then people go, ‘Oh, these guys can play football’.”
Mikeltadze last season became the first Georgian to play in the A-League Men and finished with 13 goals for the Jets, second behind Melbourne City’s Jamie Maclaren in the race for the golden boot.
He has since been joined at the Jets by midfielder Beka Dartsmelia, with Sunday’s game against Arabuli’s Bulls the first time two or more Georgians have gone head to head.
It helps for Arabuli that more of his countrymen are venturing to Australia, if only so his new clubmates are aware of his homeland.
“When I came here (to Macarthur), the players asked me, ‘Where is Georgia? Is it in Europe or Asia?’,” Arabuli said.
“They didn’t know where it was on the map and somebody asked me if it was in America, you know like the state.”
Arabuli will undoubtedly raise the awareness of his country if he continues his impressive goalscoring exploits – starting at home to Newcastle on Sunday.
A self-confessed Manchester United fan, Arabuli says the presence of former Red Devils star striker Yorke at the Bulls was a big drawcard.
“I’m always listening to him to pick up details because he was one of the best strikers,” Arabuli said.
“I’ll be honest, if Dwight wasn’t here maybe I wouldn’t have come.
“He was a big player with a lot of experience and if you’re going to learn from somebody, who is better than him?
“It’s all about details. Every week we have an extra session as strikers to work on our finishing.
“He has high standards, he wants to win every game and be the best.”
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