There was a clamour for tickets yesterday, with the majority of matchday tickets for season nine of the Hyundai A-League going on sale.
There was a clamour for tickets yesterday, with the majority of matchday tickets for season nine of the Hyundai A-League going on sale. With just 20 days to go until the season kicks off and some huge clashes in the early rounds of the competition, it-s time to get out your calendars and work out which matches you-ll be getting to this season to help power the game.
Here-s a taste of some of the biggest upcoming fixtures:
Round 1 Central Coast Mariners v Western Sydney Wanderers
12 October 5.30pm Bluetongue Stadium
The first round of season nine will feature a replay of last year-s grand final when the Champions host the Premiers at Gosford. On the back of claiming their maiden title Graham Arnold will be determined to ensure the Mariners don-t become complacent. Meanwhile the Wanderers will be eager to replicate the form that saw them go on an unprecedented unbeaten run in their inaugural season. Both sides have had pre-season tours overseas and will no doubt be out to show their fans why they were the top teams in the competition last year.
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Round 1 Melbourne Victory v Melbourne Heart
12 October 7.30pm Etihad Stadium
That same evening will also see one of the biggest matches in the Hyundai A-League football calendar when Victory hosts the first of this season-s Melbourne derbies. Adding extra spice to what is already one of the hottest tickets in town is the fact that Harry Kewell will be debuting for the red half of Melbourne against his former club. Heart-s captain will come up against another player wearing the armband for the first time in Mark Milligan. The atmosphere is sure to be amazing inside what should be a sold-out Etihad Stadium.
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Round 1 Adelaide United v Perth Glory
13 October 4.30pm Coopers Stadium
Reds fans will get to see first hand the “Spanish revolution” Josep Gombau is seeking to bring to Adelaide in their season opener against Perth. The new head coach has promised his side will play an attacking, possession based brand of football. Meanwhile former Glory great and head coach Alistair Edwards will be hoping his young squad comes on in leaps and bounds this campaign. Both sides will be eager to make it back to the finals and improve on the fact they crashed out in the week last season.
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Round 2 Brisbane Roar v Sydney FC
19 October 6.30pm Suncorp Stadium
There-s never any love lost when Queenslanders come up against New South Wales and that-s sure to be the case when Roar host the Sky Blues at Suncorp Stadium in round two. Brisbane have shown signs they are returning to some vintage form in their pre-season matches and will want to make an early statement to the competition. Meanwhile Sydney FC, led by their new captain Alessandro Del Piero, will want to get their season off to the best possible start after a promising tour of Italy. The match will also see Frank Farina return to his former club which all points to a fiery contest.
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Round 3 Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers
26 October 7.30pm Allianz Stadium
The biggest clash of round three will be the season-s first Sydney derby, in which the Sky Blues will host last year-s Premier-s Plate winners. Sydney took the honours in the very first match between the two sides but the Sky Blues were undoubtedly overshadowed by the Wanderers during their first season in the Hyundai A-League. Both sides will enjoy strong support from The Cove and Red and Black Army respectively for this one, which will ensure it will be a vocal Allianz Stadium on the Saturday night.
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Round 4 Newcastle Jets v Central Coast Mariners
2 November 7.30pm Hunter Stadium
The F3 derby is traditionally a hotly contested affair and the first for season nine promises to be no different when the Jets host last season-s premiers. Newcastle have a young brigade of stars that will be looking to make the step up this year and the Jets will hopefully welcome back injured striker Emile Heskey in time for the clash. The Mariners will be hoping they can repeat the result of their last visit to Hunter Stadium, in which they were 2-0 victors.
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Round 5 Wellington Phoenix v Perth Glory
9 November 5.30pm AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Wellington Phoenix have promised to bring an attacking flair to their football this season. The Phoenix have invested in youth, with new coach Ernie Merrick bringing in multiple promising locals and also signing a couple of Costa Rican superstars in Carlos Hernandez and Kenny Cunningham. We should have a gauge by round five how last year-s wooden spooners will go this term but regardless this will not be an easy trip for Perth in what is one of the longest journeys in domestic football in the world and affectionately known as the “distance derby”.
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