The Isuzu UTE A-League is back this weekend and aleagues.com.au has everything you need to know ahead of Round 17 of the 2024-25 season.
Read on for a game-by-game preview ahead of Round 17.
*Wellington Phoenix have the bye, whilst Melbourne City and Western United sit out the weekend action having already played their Round 17 fixture in early January.
GET YOUR TICKETS TO ROUND 17 OF THE ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE SEASON!
Brisbane Roar v Western Sydney Wanderers
Friday January 31 – Suncorp Stadium – 7.35pm AEDT
MATCH CENTRE | BUY TICKETS | HOW TO WATCH
Having gone 12-straight games without a win to start the season, Brisbane Roar return home to Suncorp Stadium chasing two victories on the bounce as Ruben Zadkovich’s side play host to Western Sydney Wanderers on Friday night.
Brisbane stunned Sydney FC in Round 15 in a thrilling 4-3 victory at Allianz Stadium; after serving the bye in Round 16, the Roar return to action against a Wanderers outfit who, in Round 8, they held to a 2-2 draw away from home.
The Wanderers are out of form and in desperate need of a result against Brisbaen, having lost back-to-back games against Central Coast Mariners and Auckland FC. Alen Stajcic’s side has won just one of five games heading into Round 17 and sit eighth on the table, four points outside of the top six. Defeat to Brisbane would leave the Wanderers at risk of losing touch with the top six.
Auckland FC v Macarthur Bulls
Saturday, February 1 – Go Media Stadium – 3pm AEDT
MATCH CENTRE | BUY TICKETS | HOW TO WATCH
Auckland FC can consolidate their lead at the top of the table when they take on third-place Macarthur Bulls at Go Media Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Black Knights are two points ahead of second-placed Adelaide, and six points clear of the third-place Bulls before Round 17. Steve Corica’s side suffered a minor form dip between mid-December and mid-January where they won just one of five games but have since collected seven of a possible nine points in their last three games (W2, D1) to soar back to the top of the table.
But Macarthur are on a decent run of form too, having defeated fellow top-four hopefuls Melbourne City to jump into third spot at the end of Round 16.
Young winger Jed Drew continued his superb form this season with an assist for Valere Germain’s match-winner and will be the player to watch at Go Media Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with a direct matchup against Auckland fullback Francis De Vries set to be pivotal to deciding if either side can emerge from the game victorious.
These two sides first met in November when Guillermo May’s 34th-minute strike decided a 1-0 win for Auckland over the Bulls.
Sydney FC v Adelaide United
Saturday, February 1 – Allianz Stadium – 5pm AEDT
MATCH CENTRE | BUY TICKETS | HOW TO WATCH
Suddenly, Sydney FC are under immense pressure to perform – and a clash with red-hot Adelaide United could not come at a worse time for Ufuk Talay’s side.
Two defeats on the bounce – including that 4-3 loss to the previously winless Brisbane – have led to Sydney dropping from fourth to seventh on the Isuzu UTE A-League table. Adelaide meanwhile are soaring, with three wins and a draw from their last five games helping the Reds into second place.
Adelaide have lost just one game this season – the least of any team in the competition. When these two sides met in Adelaide on December 20, the Reds held a 3-1 lead in second-half stoppage time before a late Sydney surge, inspired by currently injured star Douglas Costa, led to the Sky Blues clinching a point in a dramatic 3-3 draw.
Central Coast Mariners v Newcastle Jets
Saturday, February 1 – Industree Group Stadium – 7.35pm AEDT
MATCH CENTRE | BUY TICKETS | HOW TO WATCH
Buckle up, folks: it’s F3 Derby time!
Central Coast Mariners play host to Newcastle Jets in the blockbuster fixture of Round 17, and for the travelling Jets, it’s a chance to end the Mariners’ six-game F3 Derby winning streak.
Newcastle haven’t beaten the Mariners since November, 2022 but that win did come at Industree Group Stadium, the scene of Saturday’s Round 17 clash. The Mariners have lost just one of their last six games as the champions look to mount a charge toward the top six.
The Mariners sit eighth heading into Round 17, three places above the Jets who simply cannot get their season up and running amid a disappointing run of results. Rob Stanton’s side have won just two of their last 11 games – but those two wins came against Brisbane (13th) and Glory (12th).
In the first F3 Derby of the season, Central Coast claimed a 2-1 win having trailed 1-0 in the second half.
Perth Glory v Melbourne Victory
Saturday, February 1 – HBF Park – 9.45pm AEDT
MATCH CENTRE | BUY TICKETS | HOW TO WATCH
Round 17 concludes with a fascinating matchup between an improving Perth Glory outfit and Melbourne Victory, who last week earned their first win under head coach Arthur Diles since his takeover in mid-December.
Victory drew three games and lost three more through Diles’ first six games at the helm but now have a great chance of recording back-to-back wins as they travel to face a Glory outfit sat 12th on the table with just nine points from 15 games.
Saturday’s game at HBF Parm does provide Glory fans their first chance to see five new signings in action following a busy start to the January transfer window; Patrick Wood (on loan from Sydney FC), Lachie Wales and Yuto Misao all made their Glory debuts in a 2-2 draw with Newcastle Jets last time out and could be joined by fellow newcomers Takuya Okamoto and Tass Mourdoukoutas in Glory’s Round 17 squad picked to take on Victory.
Victory notched a comfortable 2-0 win over Perth in the first meeting between these two sides this season.