The Isuzu UTE A-League is back this weekend and aleagues.com.au has everything you need to know ahead of Round 10 of the 2024-25 season.
Read on for a game-by-game preview ahead of Round 10.
*Bye: Melbourne City
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Adelaide United v Western Sydney Wanderers
Friday, December 27 – Coopers Stadium – 7.35pm AEDT
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Adelaide United are enjoying their best start to a season since 2010-11. Can they keep it up against a resurgent Western Sydney Wanderers on Friday night?
The last unbeaten team standing this term, second-placed Adelaide have began 2024-25 with eight matches without defeat. Only 14 years ago have they enjoyed a better start after kicking off the 2010-11 campaign with an 11-game undefeated streak.
Led by a blend of youth and experience, Adelaide could end week 10 top of the table.
Standing in their way are sixth-placed Western Sydney, who are in the midst of a three-game unbeaten streak following last week’s 4-1 rout of Wellington Phoenix.
Regardless of the result, fans are set to be treated to goals at Coopers Stadium. The last time these two teams met in November of this season, a Dylan Pierias double helped Adelaide triumph 4-3. Last year, they also played out a wild 4-4 draw.
Perth Glory v Macarthur Bulls
Friday, December 27 – HBF Park – 10:45pm AEDT
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Now Perth Glory’s drought is over, can they back it up with consecutive wins?
Perth avoided an unwanted slice of Isuzu UTE A-League history by topping fellow strugglers Brisbane Roar 1-0 at Suncorp Stadium, a result that put an end to their 18-game winless streak.
The Glory are now back on home soil, looking for successive league victories for the first time since January last year.
Macarthur, meanwhile, travel to Perth in the midst of a testing run of fixtures following Monday night’s draw to Central Coast Mariners. The Bulls have a four-day turnaround ahead of Friday’s meeting with Glory before a clash with Western Sydney on New Year’s Day.
The Bulls will be without defender Tomislav Uskok for the Glory clash after the centre-back collected a red card against the Mariners, but will be buoyed by the return of young winger Bernardo who ended his nine-month injury absence in Monday’s draw.
There is also potential for off-season signing Chris Ikonomidis to make his first appearance for the club, having missed the first nine rounds of the season through injury.
In an interview with Network 10 at half-time of Macarthur’s draw with the Mariners, Ikonomidis revealed he has been training with the Bulls squad for “a week or two” and expects to return to action imminently.
READ MORE: Macarthur set for big boost as Socceroo closes in on injury return: ‘Any day now I’ll be back’
Wellington Phoenix v Newcastle Jets
Saturday, December 28 – Sky Stadium – 3:00pm AEDT
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Giancarlo ‘Chiefy’ Italiano finds himself in unfamiliar territory ahead of the visit of Newcastle Jets on Saturday.
The Phoenix have lost three straight matches to drop out of the top six – the first time second-year coach Italiano has tasted a hat-trick of defeats since replacing Ufuk Talay at the start of 2023-24.
Wellington will be keen for a response as they look to return to the top six against the Jets, who are coming off a bye.
The Jets, who are 11th and four points adrift of Wellington, crushed Perth Glory 4-0 prior to the bye and won on their last trip to Sky Stadium – 3-0 in December.
Central Coast Mariners v Auckland FC
Saturday, December 28 – Industree Group Stadium – 5:00pm AEDT
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How will Auckland FC respond to their first ever defeat?
The history-making Black Knights saw their unbeaten start to the season come to an emphatic end at the hands of Western United last time out, with Steve Corica’s league leaders now heading to Gosford for a return to form.
Still without star defender and former Central Coast Mariners defender Dan Hall due to injury, Auckland will look to consolidate top spot against two-time reigning champions Central Coast Mariners.
The reigning Champions host Auckland in Gosford after a 1-1 draw with Macarthur Bulls on Monday night, in which 16-year-old midfielder Haine Eames shone and the club welcomed back captain and experienced Socceroo Trent Sainsbury from a pectoral injury.
Sainsbury missed the first nine rounds of the 2024-25 season following surgery on a torn pectoral muscle but came off the bench in the Mariners’ 1-1 draw with Macarthur to end his near-11-year absence from the competition.
The Mariners have endured a tough start to their Championship defence but have recorded two wins and one draw in their last three games to sit just two points outside the top six heading into Round 10.
Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory
Saturday, December 28 – Allianz Stadium – 7:35pm AEDT
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The Big Blue. It doesn’t get much bigger as Sydney FC welcome rivals Melbourne Victory to Allianz Stadium on Saturday night.
Sydney are three games without a win, though they will be somewhat buoyed by their last-gasp 3-3 draw away to Adelaide United, where Brazilian superstar Douglas Costa scored twice and assisted another in an eye-catching display in South Australia.
The Sky Blues are eighth and a point outside the top six, while they are seven points behind Victory, who drew 1-1 with Melbourne City in Round 9 following Patrick Kisnorbo’s shock departure.
Victory carry a three-game unbeaten run against Sydney into the weekend’s fixture, having not lost to their rivals since March 2023. Since then, Victory have won twice and draw once.
Western United v Brisbane Roar
Sunday, December 29 – Ironbark Fields – 5:00pm AEDT
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Confidence is sky high in Tarneit, where Western United have catapulted themselves into the top six and finals conversation.
Western have stunned Sydney FC 4-3 and Auckland FC 4-0 in consecutive weeks – the first time they have scored four or more goals in back-to-back away games in their history. Central to that run have striker duo Noah Botic and Hiroshi Ibusuki, who have seven goals between them.
John Aloisi’s fifth-placed side have the chance to record three straight wins for the first time since February-March 2023.
As for lowly Brisbane Roar, they are still searching for their first win of the campaign having gone eight matches without a victory in 2024-25. Brisbane have not won in the league since April. They do, however, boast young gun Thomas Waddingham.
