Round 11 of the Liberty A-League is here! Ahead of all the weekend’s action, aleagues.com.au takes a closer look at all six matches…
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Saturday, 5:00pm (AEDT): Newcastle Jets v Canberra United
Buoyed by their recent 3-1 win over Adelaide United, the Jets welcome an out-of-sorts Canberra United to Newcastle in Round 11.
With three wins in their last five matches, Gary van Egmond’s side have propelled themselves up the ladder and now sit just two points behind defending champions Sydney FC, who occupy the fourth and remaining top-four berth.
Sarina Bolden continued her fine form against Adelaide, netting her fourth goal in five matches, and has also contributed one assist since joining the club in late November.
With two wins, two losses and a draw so far this campaign the Jets’ home form has been somewhat patchy however they will take confidence from the fact they’ve already beaten Canberra once this season in what was a 4-3 classic in the nation’s capital.
As for the visitors, with the second-best attack and the joint-worst defence in the league, Canberra have certainly been a lot of fun to watch this season.
Their midweek draw against Sydney FC was the club’s second consecutive stalemate and Njegosh Popovich’s side now find themselves on a four-game winless run as they head into their Round 11 clash with Newcastle stuck at the foot of the ladder.
The big positive for Canberra though is the fact Liberty A-League icon Michelle Heyman is now just one goal away from becoming the first player in competition history to score 100 goals.
Her equaliser against Sydney in their re-arranged fixture on Wednesday took her to 99 strikes all up and the good news is she also has a fine recent record against the Jets, having scored six in her last four games against the club.
Opta stat: Newcastle Jets (65%) and Canberra United (68%) have the lowest and third-lowest passing accuracies respectively of any teams in the 2023/24 A-League Women season
Newcastle Jets v Canberra United
Saturday, January 6 2024
No.2 Sportsground
Kick-off: 5.00pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: 10Play & Paramount+
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Saturday, 5:30pm (AEDT): Adelaide United v Melbourne City
Adelaide United are back on home soil in Round 11 of the Liberty A-League but face arguably the toughest challenge possible when Melbourne City come to town.
The Reds’ two-game winning streak was halted in Newcastle last time out where, despite taking an early lead, Adrian Stenta’s side found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline.
Adelaide do boast a good record at Marden Sports Complex, winning eight of their last 11 matches at the venue and scoring at least one goal in each of those matches.
However defensively they are still struggling, keeping a clean sheet just once in over a year, and with 21 goals conceded so far this season they hold the joint-worst defensive record alongside Canberra United.
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Not the statistics you necessarily want to read heading into a clash against the free-scoring league-leaders plus they’ll be without key duo Chelsie Dawber (glute) and Dylan Holmes (concussion) after both picked up injuries during the loss to Newcastle.
Melbourne City are three-points clear of second-placed Perth Glory heading into the weekend and their last two results have showcased just how flexible Dario Vidosic’s side can be.
In Round 9 they overcame rivals Melbourne Victory in a game where they dominated the ball and restricted their opponents to a limited number of attempts on goal, while in Round 10 their full attacking prowess was on display as they overcame Brisbane Roar in an eight-goal thriller.
After losing the brilliant Holly McNamara to another anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury earlier in the season the question was then who would step up and fill the void left by the 20-year old?
Well Emina Ekic has certainly done that. The Bosnian has scored four goals in her last two games, taking her tally to five for the season and has played a key role in propelling City to the top of the charts.
Opta stat: Melbourne City have won their last four games on the bounce against Adelaide United in the A-League Women, keeping a clean sheet in each of their last three encounters; their last defeat to the Reds came in January 2021 at Marden Sports Complex (1-2).
Adelaide United v Melbourne City
Saturday January 6 2024
Marden Sports Complex
Kick-off: 5.30pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: 10Play & Paramount+
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Saturday, 6:00pm (AEDT): Melbourne Victory v Western United
The big news for Melbourne Victory heading into this game is the return of Matildas striker Emily Gielnik, who is back in the matchday squad for their clash with Western United.
The 31-year-old hasn’t featured for Jeff Hopkins’ side since November after struggling with a calf complaint but will be hoping to get some more minutes this weekend as Victory look to shake off their recent poor form against last season’s Grand Finalists.
The home side are currently on a two-game losing streak having most recently been beaten 2-0 by Western Sydney Wanderers and they’ve failed to score in both of those matches – should that happen again in Round 11 it will be the first time they’ve not scored in three consecutive games since 2012.
Meanwhile, we could see a first start of the season for Matilda and reigning Julie Dolan medallist Alex Chidiac, who came off the bench during that loss to the Wanderers having only re-joined the club 48 hours earlier on a deal until the end of the 2025-26 season.
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Victory are also back at the Home of the Matildas for the first time since late November, when they defeated Central Coast Mariners 2-1, and have won two of their three matches there this season.
As for Western United, Kat Smith’s side were left frustrated following their 1-1 draw with Canberra United last time out.
Western have now recorded two wins, a loss and a draw under their new boss and the signs are there that they’re getting to grips with how she wants them to play.
Western have named an unchanged squad for the clash with Victory, with Smith also revealing that while Catherine Zimmerman and Kahli Johnson aren’t available for this clash, they are making good progress with their respective foot injuries – which in Zimmerman’s case has left her unavailable for selection since joining the club in the off-season.
This clash between fifth and sixth in the Liberty A-League will be the third meeting between the two sides, with Western having won both of the previous encounters, including a 2-1 win earlier this season.
Opta stat: Western United and the Melbourne Victory have each scored five goals in the 76th minute or later in the 2023-24 A-League Women season, more than any other clubs; though, Western United FC (4) have conceded twice as many goals as the Victory (2) during this period.
Melbourne Victory v Western United
Saturday January 6 2024
Home of the Matildas
Kick-off: 6:00pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: 10Play & Paramount+
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Sunday, 6:00pm (AEDT): Central Coast Mariners v Sydney FC
The Mariners head into their home tie with defending champions Sydney FC having garnered just one win from their last five matches.
Their Round 10 loss to Perth Glory, which was played out in front of more than 5,000 spectators, gave an accurate reflection of where the Mariners find themselves at present – narrowly edged out in what was another close contest.
Of their nine matches played this season, seven of them have been decided by just one goal with the other two games resulting in a 3-0 win and a 3-0 loss.
It must be said, they have played one game fewer than the majority of the competition however Emily Husband’s side are the division’s lowest scorers having found the back of the net just 10 times in their nine matches – although the positive to that is the fact they are regularly breaching their opponent’s backline and have only failed to score in two games this season.
As for Sydney, the big news for the titleholders is the expected return to action of Matildas star Cortnee Vine.
The forward missed the Sky Blues’ midweek clash with Canberra due to a minor calf strain however she has been named in the squad for the game at Industree Group Stadium.
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Syndey’s mid-season trip to participate in the AFC Women’s Club Championship meant the reigning Liberty A-League champions would be forced to play catch-up upon their return to domestic affairs, and while they currently sit eight points behind league leaders Melbourne City, the Sky Blues are in the midst of their own five-game unbeaten run.
Ante Juric did suffer a big injury blow in the lead up to this game however with news forward Fiona Worts will be out of action for what could be the remainder of the Liberty A-League season after having surgery to repair a torn later collateral ligament (LCL) in her knee.
This meeting at Industree Group Stadium will also be the first of two upcoming clashes between these two teams as they lock horns once again on January 17.
OPTA STAT: Sydney FC have won two of their three A-League Women games against the Central Coast Mariners (L1) including a 1-0 win when they last clashed; though, this will be their first meeting in the competition since December 2009.
Central Coast Mariners v Sydney FC
Sunday, January 7 2024
Industree Group Stadium
Kick-off: 6.00pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: 10Play & Paramount+
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Sunday, 6:00pm (AEDT): Brisbane Roar v Wellington Phoenix
Brisbane Roar’s wait for a Liberty A-League win has now stretched to eight games following their recent 5-3 loss to Melbourne City.
For Alex Smith it means he is still yet to taste victory as Roar head coach and he’ll be desperately hoping his team isn’t setting club records for all the wrong reasons come full-time on Sunday – anything other than a win would see Brisbane set a new club record for longest spell of league games without victory.
However, there are some positives for the Roar to take from that thrilling contest with Melbourne City as their pressing certainly caused a few headaches for the league-leaders while American striker Mia Corbin has now entered the race for the Golden Boot, taking her tally to five for the season.
But Brisbane will be hoping others start to chip in with goals as well as Corbin given they’ve scored just 12 times this season, with only Central Coast (10) and Sydney FC (11) below them, both of whom have played a game fewer than Brisbane.
As for the visitors, two defeats from their last three games has seen Paul Temple’s Wellington Phoenix lose some of their early-season momentum but confidence remains high heading into what will be the first of three away matches for his side.
“What I’m learning about the A-League Women this season is I don’t know if there’s even a bottom and a top,” said Temple in his pre-match media conference. “It feels like everyone beats everyone or takes points off everyone.”
Wellington will set up camp on the Gold Coast following their clash with Brisbane at Perry Park before then travelling down to Sydney to face Central Coast Mariners in Unite Round.
Their run on the road then takes them to Victoria as they face a difficult clash with high-flying Melbourne City and Temple is under no illusions as to how hard it is to gain points whilst travelling.
“Away games are hard,” added Temple.
“16 wins out of 62 games away from home this season tells you how hard it is to win away in the Liberty A-League. It’s a huge challenge for us now because we’ve got four away games in a row.”
The ‘Nix regain goalkeeper Rylee Foster who missed their 1-0 loss to Sydney FC in Round 10 due to injury.
Opta stat: Wellington Phoenix have scored seven goals from set pieces in the 202-24 A-League Women season, the joint-most of any team in the competition, while no team has conceded more set piece goals this campaign than Brisbane Roar (6).
Brisbane Roar v Wellington Phoenix
Sunday, January 7 2024
Perry Park
Kick-off: 6.00pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: 10Play & Paramount+
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Sunday, 10:00pm (AEDT): Perth Glory v Western Sydney Wanderers
The final game of Round 11 in the Liberty A-League takes place on Sunday evening as Perth Glory welcome the Wanderers to Macedonia Park.
Currently trailing Melbourne City by three points at the top of the league, Glory coach Alex Epakis will be hoping his side maintain their imperious home record at Macedonia Park, a ground where they’re currently unbeaten in 10 matches, winning seven of those contests.
Perth maintained their pursuit of the league-leaders following their hard-fought 2-1 away win against the Mariners, a game decided by in-form English striker Millie Farrow.
The 27-year-old is currently in career-best form having notched six goals so far this season from 10 matches which puts her joint-top in the Golden Boot standings whilst her return of three assists is only one fewer than that of Western Sydney’s Holly Caspers who has four.
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That 2-1 win over the Mariners also brought an end to their two-game winless streak which saw them lose to Western United as well as draw with Sydney FC and subsequently lose ground on Melbourne City.
As for the Wanderers, Robbie Hooker’s side returned to the winner’s circle in Round 10 following their impressive 2-0 win over Melbourne Victory.
Goals from Amy Harrison and Alexia Apostolakis did the damage for a Western Sydney side which have now won three of their last five games and is in confident mood given they’re also unbeaten in their last two games away from Wanderers Football Park.
This game could easily be settled by one of the league’s two hottest strikers at present with the aforementioned Millie Farrow and Wanderers striker Sophie Harding both netting six times already this season.
As for the Wanderers’ supporting cast, forward Holly Caspers may be laying them on a plate for her teammates so far this season when it comes to assists (4) but she is certainly due a goal herself, given she has the highest expected goals total (2.2) of any player in the league yet to score this season.
Opta stat: Perth Glory have scored one goal from inside the box per 16 penalty area entries this A-League Women season, the second most frequent of any team in the competition and eight entries per goal fewer than Western Sydney Wanderers (24).
Perth Glory v Western Sydney Wanderers
Sunday, January 7 2024
Macedonia Park
Kick-off: 10.00pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: 10Play & Paramount+
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