Round three of the Hyundai A-League 2017/18 season has again thrown up some mouth-watering contests.
Here are your five reasons to watch this weekend…
A SIZZLING SYDNEY DERBY
When the Hyundai A-League fixture list comes out every year, fans of the two Sydney clubs look immediately for the derby dates.
The first of those in 2017/18 is on Saturday night.
It still sticks in the craw of the Sky Blues that their cross-town neighbours were the only side to beat them last season.
With both clubs off to good starts this time around, Saturday night’s collision at Allianz Stadium is sure to be as fiery and hard-fought as usual.
FORMER CHAMPIONS COLLIDE
Is there a fiercer interstate rivalry in the Hyundai A-League than Melbourne Victory against Adelaide United?
Down the years, they have produced some of the most memorable moments in the history of the competition.
In 2017/18, Kevin Muscat’s Victory have stalled at the starting gate, while the Reds are up and running under new coach Marco Kurz.
A huge crowd is expected at Adelaide Oval to watch these two reacquaint themselves with one another in the #OriginalRivalry.
CAN ROAR STOP ROY?
Brisbane find themselves in the uncustomary position of propping up the table and will be desperate to claim their first points of the season at Suncorp on Sunday.
Those would have come last week but for Adelaide United’s late show and John Aloisi would have spent the week ensuring that won’t be repeated.
In the opposite corner are Newcastle, the Hyundai A-League’s leading goalscorers, red-hot striker Roy O’Donovan leading the way with four goals in the first two rounds.
But the Irishman has scored just once in five games against Brisbane and lost all five of those contests – will a change of shirt see the tide turn?
ARE CITY THE REAL DEAL?
Melbourne City lead the Hyundai A-League after consecutive victories and will back themselves to continue their impressive start in Saturday’s early game.
Bruce Kamau has found a rare vein of goalscoring form, while Polish star Marcin Budzinski is quickly repaying the faith shown in him by Warren Joyce.
But Wellington will provide a stern test – few teams score twice at Allianz as the Phoenix did last weekend – so a third straight victory is anything but guaranteed at AAMI Park.
LOOK WHO’S BACK
Danny De Silva became Perth Glory’s youngest ever player when he debuted four days short of his sixteenth birthday in March 2013.
Now he returns to nib Stadium as a Mariners player with every intention of biting the hand that used to feed him after an eye-catching start for his new club.
But Glory have some young guns of their own with Brandon Wilson and Jake Brimmer part of a Perth side that showed real heart against the Jets last weekend to avoid consecutive defeats to start their campaign.
The weekend of Hyundai A-League action concludes with probably the most intriguing contest of all out west.
