Round 9 of the Liberty A-League season is upon us! Ahead of the action getting underway, aleagues.com.au previews all six of the contests.
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Friday, 5 PM (AEDT): Western United v Perth Glory
League leaders Perth Glory head on the road to face Western United in the opening game of Round 9.
Alex Epakis’ side maintained top spot on the standings in their 0-0 draw with Sydney FC last Sunday, where goalkeeper Morgan Aquino was the star of the show, keeping the Sky Blues at bay with a masterful performance between the sticks.
Perth have already come away with maximum points on their one and only trip to Victoria this season, knocking off second-placed Melbourne City a fortnight ago.
Meanwhile, Western dropped out of the top six on goal difference after falling to a 4-2 loss to Newcastle Jets, continuing their inconsistent start to the campaign.
Last season’s runners-up are yet to win back-to-back games this campaign, but have backed up each of their four losses with wins, showcasing a brilliant ability to bounce back.
One of those losses was a 2-0 defeat back in Round 1 at Macedonia Park, where Glory were victors thanks to goals from Grace Jale and Susan Phonsongkham.
Opta stat: Perth Glory have conceded eight goals this season, 2.6 fewer than their Expected Goals Against value suggests – the best performance of any team in the competition; Western United (+4.2) are ranked last in this category.
Western United v Perth Glory
Friday, December 22 2023
City Vista Recreation Reserve
Kick-off: 5pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: 10 Play & Paramount+
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Friday, 7 PM (AEDT): Sydney FC v Brisbane Roar
Brisbane Roar will be looking to end an over two-month long wait for a win against the side they lasted victory against in Sydney FC this Friday.
Roar have gone without a win in their last six matches, including all four of Alex Smith’s tenure since he took over from Garrath McPherson at the end of Round 4.
It’s a stark contrast to the way they started the campaign, where they knocked off both Melbourne Victory and Sydney in their opening two games.
However, Smith would be pleased with a much improved showing in their 1-1 draw with Western Sydney Wanderers last weekend, where they led for 24 minutes of the contest before Sophie Harding’s second-half equaliser.
Their opponents Sydney were unlucky to not come away with more from their trip west to face Perth, outshooting Glory 17-6, with nine of those attempts on target.
Ante Juric’s side reside in fifth with two games in hand heading into Round 9; a win this weekend would keep them hot on the tails of the top four sides.
Sydney have a great record at Leichhardt Oval, losing only one of their last six matches at the venue, although that loss did come against Brisbane in February 2021.
Opta stat: Brisbane Roar will be aiming for back-to-back wins against Sydney FC in the Liberty A-League for the first time since November 2016, following their 1-0 victory against the Sky Blues when they last met (21 October 2023).
Sydney FC v Brisbane Roar
Friday, December 22 2023
Leichhardt Oval
Kick-off: 7pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: 10 Play & Paramount+
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Saturday, 12:45 PM (AEDT): Wellington Phoenix v Newcastle Jets
Mackenzie Barry will become Wellington Phoenix’s all-time games record holder this weekend, when they welcome Newcastle Jets to town.
Barry is set to make her 39th Liberty A-League appearance on Saturday, passing Chloe Knott who made 38 appearance prior to her departure earlier this season.
The Wellington defender was unaware she was breaking the record against the Jets, and was told on Thursday by the local media at her press conference.
“Wow. That’s really exciting,” she said.
“I didn’t know that. It’s been a long journey, I started when we were right at the bottom and I just feel like I’ve really committed to this club. I’m very passionate about the club.
“I’m very honored and I’m happy to be here holding that lead so far. But that’s so cool!”
Wellington will be hoping to mark the milestone with a win, having fallen to a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Adelaide United last weekend.
Newcastle, meanwhile, begin life without Emily van Egmond after the Matildas star’s four-game guest stint came to an end after their 4-2 win over Western United.
The Jets leaped into sixth spot on the standings on goal difference, as a result.
They have, however, regained the services of Melina Ayres after a few weeks on the sidelines through injury, bolstering a high-powered attack alongside in-form Sarina Bolden who has three goals in her first three games at the club.
Opta stat: Wellington Phoenix are undefeated in their last four matches in New Zealand (W3 D1) – their longest unbeaten run in the country in the history of the competition; the Phoenix have scored at least two goals in each of those four games.
Wellington Phoenix v Newcastle Jets
Saturday, December 23 2023
Sky Stadium
Kick-off: 12:45pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: 10 Play & Paramount+
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Saturday, 5 PM (AEDT): Canberra United v Central Coast Mariners
Canberra United return home to McKellar Park in search of three points and getting off the foot of the table, when they take on Central Coast Mariners on Saturday evening.
Njegosh Popovich’s side fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Melbourne Victory last Saturday, and returned to 12th place after Adelaide United came away with their first victory of the season.
Canberra do, however, have two games in hand, which despite their lowly position keeps them in the hunt for finals football.
The side from the capital will be without No.1 goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln after she was sent off in the loss to Victory, opening up the door for Coco Majstorovic to start the contest between the sticks.
Central Coast, on the other hand, are winless in their last three but came close to coming away with all three points in their clash against Melbourne City last Friday – conceding a late equaliser from Rebekah Stott.
Emily Husband’s side have fallen into 10th spot on the standings, but remain only two points outside the top six with a game in hand.
Opta stat: Vesna Milivojevic (Canberra United) has been directly involved in 13 goals across her last eight matches (12 goals, 1 assist); she’s scored six goals in her last three games in the competition at McKellar Park.
Canberra United v Central Coast Mariners
Saturday, December 23 2023
McKellar Park
Kick-off: 5pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: 10 Play & Paramount+
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Saturday, 5 PM (AEDT): Melbourne City v Melbourne Victory
Two of the league’s early frontrunners to take home silverware this season lock horns at AAMI Park as Melbourne City take on Melbourne Victory.
The sides come into the contest in contrasting form, with City going winless in their last two matches, while Victory head in unbeaten in six straight games.
Dario Vidosic’s side battled back from a goal down against Central Coast Mariners to take home a point, after losing a week earlier to league leaders Perth Glory at home. Their defensive issues have continued to haunt them this season, conceding 13 goals in their last six games.
Star striker Hannah Wilkinson has a knack of scoring against Victory, with seven goals to her name in her last five Derbies – which bodes well for the Vidosic’s charges.
Meanwhile, Victory are the league’s form side heading into the weekend, spearheaded by an in-form frontline – namely Kurea Okino and McKenzie Weinert who both took their tally to three goals for the season last weekend.
Since losing the first two games of the season, Victory have won four games and drawn two.
The two sides met three times last season, with Jeff Hopkins’ side winning two and drawing once at Casey Fields. Most recently, Victory won a thrilling penalty shootout in the Elimination Final, where former players Casey Dumont and Melina Ayres stole the show.
Emma Checker was on the other side of the defeat, having traded City blue for Victory navy blue in the off-season, and the Matildas defender is looking forward to lacing up the boots against her old side.
“It’s a big one, having made the big move this year, but I think irrespective of that it doesn’t matter if you’ve been part of these games before. Everyone knows the importance of it,” she said.
“The most exciting thing about it is we’ve got international players coming into this game with no real background of what this means, but they can already feel it given the training week.
“So I feel like we’re prepared and in a good place going into the game.”
Opta stat: Melbourne Victory are undefeated in their last four matches against Melbourne City (W3 D1, inc. penalty shootouts); it’s the longest unbeaten run by either team in the history of this fixture.
Melbourne City v Melbourne Victory
Saturday, December 23 2023
AAMI Park
Kick-off: 5pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: 10 Play & Paramount+
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Saturday, 6 PM (AEDT): Western Sydney Wanderers v Adelaide United
Adelaide United finally got on the board last week and will be looking for consecutive wins when they head on the road to face Western Sydney Wanderers.
The Reds came from behind to defeat Wellington Phoenix at home, ending a nine-month wait for a victory, and as a result, climbing off the foot of the table.
Adrian Stenta’s side also have a fantastic record against the Wanderers, going undefeated in their last five matches against Western Sydney, including wins in each of the last three meetings and a clean sheet in their last two.
In fact, Adelaide had conceded at least one goal in all of their 15 prior meetings to this streak.
Western Sydney are looking to continue their solid run, having gone unbeaten in their last three matches.
Robbie Hooker’s side had to battle back from a goal down to secure a point against Brisbane Roar, thanks to the exploits of Sophie Harding – who scored her sixth goal in four games.
Opta stat: Western Sydney Wanderers are undefeated in their last nine Liberty A-League matches at Wanderers Football Park (W7 D2); they have scored exactly three goals in each of their last two games in that span (W2).
Western Sydney Wanderers v Adelaide United
Saturday, December 23 2023
Wanderers Football Park
Kick-off: 6pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: 10 Play & Paramount+
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