Round 25 of the Isuzu UTE A-League season kicks off this Friday night! Ahead of the action, aleagues.com.au previews all six of the contests including a cracking Sydney Derby…
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Friday, 5:00pm (AEST): Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory
What better way to kick the weekend than with a mouth-watering clash at Sky Stadium as second host third.
Defeat to Central Coast Mariners in Round 24 saw Giancarlo Italiano’s Phoenix bumped off top spot by virtue of having fewer wins than the Mariners but they head into this clash with Melbourne Victory knowing a win will see them return to the summit before their rivals have kicked a ball.
The ‘Nix have lost only one of their last five league games in New Zealand against
Victory (W2 D2) but have kept only one clean sheet across that term.
In more good news, Wellington will welcome back skipper Alex Rufer for the clash after completing his one-game suspension while Italiano remained relatively cautious when discussing a potential return to action for striker Oskar Zawada who has been out for some time due to injury.
As for the opposition, Victory are unbeaten in their last five Isuzu UTE A-League games against the Phoenix (W3 D2) although each of their last two meetings have ended in a 1-1 draw on the day.
An impressive 2-1 win over local rivals Melbourne City last time out saw them not only tighten their grip on third spot on the ladder, moving six points clear of fourth-placed Sydney FC, but also guarantee themselves a place in this season’s Finals Series.
Meanwhile, Tony Popovic has also confirmed he has a fully fit squad to pick from when Victory depart for New Zealand however that does exclude Ryan Teague, Nishan Velupillay and Jordi Valadon who are all away on Olyroos duty.
Finally, they’ll be hoping Bruno Fornaroli will continue his stellar form against the ‘Nix, having scored three goals across his last four games against Wellington whilst also bagging a goal in each of his last five games against them in New Zealand.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Wellington Phoenix: W – L – W – W – L
- Melbourne Victory: L – W – D – W – W
POSITION
- Wellington Phoenix: 2nd
- Melbourne Victory: 3rd
OPTA STATS
- Kosta Barbarouses (Wellington Phoenix) has not been directly involved in a goal across his last four A- League Men matches against Melbourne Victory, after recording six goals and three assists in his nine games against the Victory prior to that span.
- Melbourne Victory have won four games this A-League Men season when they’ve trailed at some point, the most of any team in the competition; though, Wellington Phoenix have not lost any game in which they’ve led this campaign.
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Friday, 7:45pm (AEST): Adelaide United v Macarthur FC
The second of Friday night’s fixtures takes place at Coopers Stadium for what will be Adelaide United’s final home game of the regular season.
The Reds have hit form at just the right time having strung three wins together to leave them in ninth spot on the ladder but crucially, just six points out the top six with a game in hand.
Their 4-2 away win over Perth Glory last time out saw Carl Veart’s attacking weapons fire to devastating fashion with Hiroshi Ibusuki netting a double to take his tally to double figures for the season while Nestory Irankunda has also caught fire having scored three and assisted two goals in his last two games.
On the other side of the coin are Macarthur FC and the Bulls arrive in South Australia in somewhat ropey form having lost their last two matches.
In fact, the Bulls have now lost three of their last five matches (W2) and that has seen them slip down to fourth spot on the ladder, although they do still have a five-point cushion between themselves and Melbourne City in seventh.
Furthermore, Mile Sterjovski’s side have been dealt a huge blow with news their inspirational captain Ulises Davila will be missing for the next two matches after he was handed a retrospective ban following an altercation with Western United’s Josh Risdon, while midfielder Jake Hollman is also absent due to being away on Olyroos duty.
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FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Adelaide United: L – L – W – W – W
- Macarthur FC: W – L – W – L – L
POSITION
- Adelaide United: 9th
- Macarthur FC: 5th
OPTA STATS
- Adelaide United have won their last three consecutive A-League Men games, scoring four goals in each of their last two games in the competition; a third consecutive game with 4+ goals would equal the record for any club in the competition (Adelaide United in March 2023, Sydney FC in October 2016, Melbourne City FC in December 2015).
- Valère Germain (Macarthur FC) has scored one goal in each of his two career appearances against Adelaide United in the A-League Men and has been directly involved in three goals across his last three games away from Campbelltown Sports Stadium overall (2 goals, 1 assist).
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Saturday, 3:30pm (AEST): Western United v Central Coast Mariners
Central Coast Mariners could well find themselves sat in second spot by the time they kick off against Western United on Saturday afternoon given a win or a draw for Wellington on Friday night will see them move into pole position.
Last weekend’s dramatic win over Wellington Phoenix saw Mark Jackson’s side leapfrog the ‘Nix to move top of the pile with just three games left to play and given the fact they’ve won their last four matches against Western, Jackson will be confident they can return to the summit.
The Mariners know if they win all three of their remaining matches against Western (A), Adelaide (H) and Newcastle (A) then they will clinch silverware for the second successive season whilst they’re also still in the mix for the AFC Cup, currently sat two games away from the final.
Something that could hamper the Mariners in this game though is the fact they’ll be without first choice left back Jacob Farrell following his call up to the Olyroos squad while striker Alou Kuol will also be unavailable for selection for the same reason.
As for Western United, John Aloisi’s side finally vacated their spot as the league’s bottom side for the first time since the early weeks of the season following their impressive 4-2 win over Macarthur last time out.
Western have seemingly hit form at the right time and while they are unable to qualify for finals this season, their run of three wins from their last five matches has certainly reinvigorated Aloisi’s team.
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Furthermore, after opening their account at their new football facility at Tarneit with that come-from-behind win over Macarthur, Western now have another two consecutive games at their makeshift home ground, giving them the perfect opportunity to try and end their season on a high.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Western United: W – W – D – L – W
- Central Coast Mariners: W – W – L – W – W
POSITION
- Western United: 11th
- Central Coast Mariners: 1st
OPTA STATS
- Western United are undefeated in their last five A-League Men games when playing as the home team on the day (W3 D2) after losing seven of their previous eight games as hosts in the competition (W1).
- Central Coast Mariners have scored one goal from inside the box for every 15 penalty area entries this A-League Men season, the most frequent of any team in the competition, while Western United (one every 31 entries) have done so the least frequently of any team.
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Saturday, 5:30pm (AEST): Brisbane Roar v Newcastle Jets
Saturday afternoon’s clash between between Brisbane Roar and Newcastle Jets has now become crucial for the Roar as they continue to scrap for a spot in the top six.
Last week’s impressive 2-1 away win against the Wanderers leaves them sat in seventh spot on the ladder, just five points behind sixth spot with three games to play.
Ruben Zadkovich’s Brisbane will certainly not have it all their own way against a Newcastle side fresh off their 3-1 win over Sydney FC but the Roar are unbeaten in their last four A-League Men games in Queensland against the Jets (W3 D1) keeping a clean sheet in each of those four games.
As for Rob Stanton’s Newcastle, that win over Sydney in Round 23 brought an end to their nine game winless run and also saw them move two points clear of bottom-placed Perth Glory.
In striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, the Jets certainly have a player in red-hot form and with 15 goals to his name this campaign, is now just one goal away from equalling the record for the most goals by a Newcastle Jets player in an A-League Men season (16 – Adam Taggart in 2013-14).
Finally, both sides will be without players for the contest due to the upcoming U23 Asian Cup in Qatar with Brisbane losing the services of attacker Keegan Jelacic while Newcastle will be without defenders Lucas Mauragis and Mark Natta.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Brisbane Roar: W – D – L – L – W
- Newcastle Jets: L – D – L – D – W
POSITION
- Brisbane Roar: 8th
- Newcastle Jets: 10th
OPTA STATS
- Brisbane Roar will be looking to win back-to-back A-League Men games for the first time in 2024 after defeated Western Sydney Wanderers FC 2-1 in their most recent fixture; furthermore, they are unbeaten in their last four games at Suncorp Stadium in the competition (W2 D2).
- Newcastle Jets are winless in their last eight A-League Men games away from McDonald Jones Stadium (D4 L4), failing to score a goal in three of their last five such fixtures.
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Saturday, 7:45pm (AEST): Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers
The third and final Sydney Derby of the regular season sees fourth play sixth in what is shaping as a crucial game for both side’s finals chances.
For Sydney FC, Ufuk Talay’s team suffered a disappointing 3-1 loss away to Newcastle Jets in a game which also saw forward Robert Mak sent off for violent conduct following an altercation with Jets’ defender Phillip Cancar.
That loss at McDonald Jones Stadium meant the Sky Blues blew the chance to move three points clear of fifth-placed Macarthur FC and they now only sit just a point clear of their rivals Western Sydney who are sixth.
Buoyed by their most recent win over the Wanderers – an emphatic 4-1 victory at CommBank Stadium in early March – Sydney FC will fancy their chances of defeating their neighbours once again however they will now be without Mak for the game due to suspension while defenders Jordan Courtney-Perkins and Jake Girdwood-Reich will both be unavailable due to their participation with the Olyroos.
Meanwhile, the Wanderers will also be without a couple of key first team players due to their Olyroos involvement as both Nicolas Milanovic and Lachlan Brook will miss the contest.
No doubt a blow to Marko Rudan’s side, with Milanovic and Brook unavailable for the game the Wanderers are losing plenty of proven firepower from their team given both players have netted eight times this season.
A upset loss to Brisbane Roar on Friday night left the Wanderers stuck in sixth spot on the ladder and only four points clear of Melbourne City, however a win over their rivals coupled with results elsewhere could see them take a giant step closer to securing a spot in the finals.
What will give the Western Sydney Wanderers added belief though is the fact they have won their last two A-League Men games when playing as the away team on the day; the last time they won more consecutive games from the away sheds was a three-game streak in November 2015.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Sydney FC: D – L – W – D – L
- Western Sydney Wanderers: L – L – W – W – L
POSITION
- Sydney FC: 4th
- Western Sydney Wanderers: 6th
OPTA STATS
- Rhyan Grant (Sydney FC) is set to feature in his 30th A-League Men game between Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers FC, the most of any player and six more than next-ranked Milos Ninkovic (24); indeed, only six players other than Grant have featured in 15+ editions of this fixture.
- Western Sydney Wanderers (28.6%) and Sydney FC (23.5%) have the highest accuracies on open play crosses of any teams in the 2023-24 A-League Men season; though, the Wanderers’ 12.3 open play crosses per game are the third fewest of any team.
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Sunday, 3:00pm (AEST): Melbourne City v Perth Glory
Melbourne City head into their clash with Perth Glory on Sunday knowing anything other than a win could be incredibly damaging when it comes to their finals hopes.
Currently sat seventh on the ladder, City are four points behind the Wanderers in sixth having played the same amount of games. However Western Sydney have two more wins to their name in comparison to City meaning they already hold a big advantage – plus City also have Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United breathing down their necks.
Last weekend’s late loss to rivals Victory in the Melbourne Derby means City have now suffered back to back defeats in the league however they will be buoyed by the fact they are unbeaten in their last three Isuzu UTE A-League games against Perth Glory at AAMI Park (W2 D1).
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Head coach Aurelio Vidmar will be back on the sidelines after missing the last three matches due to illness but he’ll be without defender Callum Talbot and young goalkeeper Patrick Beach after both received Olyroos call ups, while Perth also lose second-choice goalkeeper Cameron Cook for the same reason.
Speaking of the visitors, a 4-2 defeat to Adelaide United in Round 23 has left Alen Stajcic’s side sat bottom of the ladder heading into the latest round of fixtures.
Despite two goals from the in-form Adam Taggart, who now has 17 for the season, Perth slumped to their 12th loss of the campaign.
Historically Perth Glory have won 12 games at AAMI Park in the A-League Men, the most of any team based outside Victoria in the competition; though, they’ve not won in their last five visits to the venue (D2 L3).
Furthermore, Stajcic’s side are currently on a seven game winless run in the competition and now possess the worst defensive record in the competition.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Melbourne City: W – W -D – L – L
- Perth Glory: D – L – L – D – L
POSITION
- Melbourne City: 7th
- Perth Glory: 12th
OPTA STATS
- Mathew Leckie (Melbourne City) has been directly involved in six goals across his last six A-League Men games against the Perth Glory (4 goals, 2 assists); though, he has started in five of those six games.
- Adam Taggart (Perth Glory) has scored eight goals when his side has been trailing, the most of any player in the A-League Men; indeed, he has scored five goals overall across his last five games and one in each of his last two games against Melbourne City.
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