It’s Round 2 of the Hyundai A-League and we reckon there are five reasons to get around the A-League this weekend.
A MASSIVE MELBOURNE DERBY
The season’s first Melbourne derby has arrived early in the new season with City and Victory squaring off at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.
Kevin Muscat welcomes back Mark Milligan, James Troisi and Kosta Barbarouses from international duty, while Warren Joyce will have the services of Caltex Socceroos hero at his disposal Tim Cahill for the first time.
There’s always action and drama aplenty when these two go head-to-head and the 23rd derby will be no exception with fireworks guaranteed.
BERISHA AND CAHILL COLLIDE
Still on the derby and who wouldn’t want to see two of the biggest names in the league square off? Berisha is hungry after last week’s loss while Cahill is back in town after being the hero for the Socceroos on Tuesday night.
Big name players love the big stage. What’s in store from these two greats.
JETS ON FIRE
Even the most ardent of Newcastle fans couldn’t possibly have predicted the 5-1 thrashing their side handed the Mariners on opening weekend.
The Roy O’Donovan-inspired mauling should add thousands to the gate for the Jets’ first home game of the season on Sunday.
Glory certainly won’t lie down though; they’ve won 13 of the last 16 meetings between these two and are undefeated in their last eight visits to McDonald Jones Stadium.
EURO VISION AT SPOTLESS
Western Sydney’s Spanish contingent played a massive part in giving Hayden Foxe a win in his first match in charge with Oriol Riera and Alvaro Cejudo combining for the side’s first goal.
Meantime, in a well-beaten Mariners side, Dutchmen Wout Brama and Tom Hiariej still showed enough to suggest they’ll have a big part to play in the Central Coast engine-room this season.
The Mariners won 2-0 the last time these two met and will be desperate to put last weekend behind them in what will be club icon Josh Rose’s 200th Hyundai A-League game.
CHAMPIONS AT HOME FOR THE FIRST TIME
Sydney FC play their third game in eight days after a hard-fought 1-0 win in the Grand Final rematch last Saturday and an impressive midweek semi-final victory in the Westfield FFA Cup.
The defending champions are looking every inch the team to beat again in 2017/18, with Polish acquisition Adrian Mierzejewski already setting tongues wagging.
Meantime, Wellington welcome back All Whites Andrew Durante, Michael McGlinchey and Tom Doyle as they look to stem the Sky Blue torrent at Allianz Stadium.
