Round 15 of the Isuzu UTE A-League season is upon us! Ahead of the action getting underway, aleagues.com.au previews all six of the contests.
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Friday, 7:45pm (AEDT): Brisbane Roar v Wellington Phoenix
There’s big news out of Brisbane ahead of Round 15, as Roar head coach Ben Cahn takes an indefinite period of medical leave to address a health issue, with assistant Ruben Zadkovich stepping into an acting head coach role.
Cahn had overseen five matches since taking charge of the Roar, guiding them to one win and four losses, two of which came at Suncorp Stadium.
A 2-0 away defeat to the Central Coast Mariners in Round 14 leaves them in 9th spot on the ladder and their goal difference of -13 is only worsened by that of Western United’s -18.
One positive though is that the club this week announced the signing of former Jonny Warren Medallist Marco Rojas and he will be available for the clash on Friday night having trained with the squad all week.
The 32-year-old was a free agent after leaving Chilean club Colo Colo and has been snapped up by the Roar on a contract until the end of the 2023-24 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
As for Wellington, a 2-1 away win over Newcastle in Round 14 moved them two points clear at the top as star-striker Oskar Zawada came back from injury with a bang.
The Polish striker took his tally to five goals for the campaign and his return to fitness will no doubt be a concern for Brisbane given he scored a hat-trick against them when the two sides met earlier in the season.
Giancarlo Italiano’s side have won four of their last six away matches in Australia and three points in the first match of the round would see them go five points clear at the top, applying pressure to second-place Melbourne Victory who play away to Newcastle on Saturday night.
New midfield signing Youstin Salas, who joined on-loan from Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa, could be available for the match pending the approval of his working visa.
Opta Stat: The Wellington Phoenix have won three of their last four A-League Men games against Brisbane Roar FC (D1) which is as many as they had won in their 14 previous meetings in the competition (W3 D7 L4); though, they’ve not won against the Roar at Suncorp Stadium since a 2-1 win in February 2017.
Brisbane Roar v Wellington Phoenix
Friday, February 2 2023
Suncorp Stadium
Kick-off: 7:45pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: Paramount+
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Friday, 9:45pm (AEDT): Perth Glory v Melbourne City
Spirits will be a little higher amongst the Perth Glory players after Alen Stajcic’s side secured a hard-fought point in Round 14 care of David Williams’ late equaliser against Macathur.
While they’re certainly not where they’d like to be on the ladder, that point pushed Glory five points clear of bottom side Western United and they’re now two games unbeaten.
Boosted by the signing of former academy graduate Josh Rawlins, who has returned to club on-loan from Dutch side FC Utrecht for the remainder of the campaign, Alen Stajcic will also be hoping to call upon top goalscorer and club captain Adam Taggart.
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Despite being named in the initial squad to face Macarthur last week Stajcic revealed the 30-year-old missed the away trip due to a ‘little niggle’ picked up in training and has since rated the striker’s chances as “50-50” as to whether or not he features this weekend.
What will be a concern for Glory though is their recent home record at HBF Park, where they’ve won just two of their last seven matches, conceding at least twice in six of those contests.
As for Melbourne City, Aurelio Vidmar has been handed a huge boost this week with news Socceroos forward Mathew Leckie is fit and available for the trip to Perth.
Having initially missed the start of the season due to a knee issue, Leckie returned to action in late November only to then suffer a tear in his right hamstring three games later during their AFC Champions League clash with Zhejiang, subsequently ruling him out of the Asian Cup.
The 31-year-old has returned to Australia having spent the last eight years plying his trade in Europe, most recently for Scottish Premiership side Hibernian.
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To complete the transfer fun and games City have also signed Socceroos winger Marco Tilio on loan for the remainder of the season from Celtic while left back Aziz Behich has been loaned out to Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr – both players though are still away on international duty.
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After suffering consecutive losses in Rounds 12 and 13, Aurelio Vidmar’s side bounced back to winning ways in Round 14, seeing off Adelaide United 1-0 at AAMI Park.
That result gave them a two-point cushion over Sydney FC with City occupying sixth spot on the ladder and their recent matches against Perth have certainly brought them plenty of success.
The reigning Isuzu UTE A-League premiers have won their last three games against the Glory, scoring ten goals in the process, whilst they’ve also won four of their last five matches in Western Australia.
Something that may be cause for concern for City boss Aurelio Vidmar though is the form of striker Jamie Maclaren when playing away from home, given the five-time Golden Boot winner has scored just once in his last 14 games away from AAMI Park.
Opta Stat: The Perth Glory boast a shooting accuracy of 59.1% in the A-League Men in 2024, the highest of any team in the competition and nearly 20 percentage points higher than Melbourne City FC (39.5%) who are ranked last in the competition in that time.
Perth Glory v Melbourne City
Friday, February 2 2023
HBF Park
Kick-off: 9:45pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: Paramount+
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Saturday, 5:00pm (AEDT): Western United v Sydney FC
Western United are back in Tasmania this weekend when they face Sydney FC at North Hobart Oval.
Recently beaten 1-0 by Western Sydney Wanderers at the same venue, Western have now lost their last two games on the Apple Isle without scoring a single goal despite having been undefeated in their last six matches in the state.
To make matters worse, that defeat to the Wanderers coupled with Perth’s late leveller against Macarthur means John Aloisi’s side are now five points adrift at the bottom of the ladder having lost 10 of their 14 matches this season.
Their most recent loss to the Wanderers painted a familiar picture for Western United this season having created more opportunities than their opponents and amassed a bigger expected goals (xG) total only to walk away empty handed.
Meanwhile Sydney FC will have been pleased with their Round 14 performance having left AAMI Park with a point after drawing 1-1 with Melbourne Victory whilst playing with 10-players for over an hour.
Patrick Wood’s red card for serious foul play in the 36th minute meant Ufuk Talay’s side had to defend for their lives at times against an unbeaten Melbourne Victory but they walked away with a share of the spoils and as such sit in seventh spot on the ladder.
With one defeat in their last five games the Sky Blues are certainly trending in the right direction under Talay and no side has scored more goals (10) than Sydney FC in 2024.
The most recent meeting between these two sides ended in a thrilling 4-2 win for Sydney at Allianz Stadium where Joe Lolley scored two and grabbed an assist in a player of the match display.
In fact the Englishman has been in scintillating form of late, scoring five goals and assisting three more in his last six matches for Sydney.
Opta Stat: Western United FC have scored 11 goals from their 11 games against Sydney FC in the A-League Men despite having accrued 14.7 Expected Goals across those fixtures; indeed, only against the Wellington Phoenix (-5.9) have Western United FC trailed their xG by more than they have against Sydney FC (-3.7).
Western United v Sydney FC
Saturday, February 3 2023
North Hobart Oval
Kick-off: 5:00pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: Paramount+
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Saturday, 6:00pm (AEDT): Newcastle Jets v Melbourne Victory
With just one win in their last five matches the Jets will be hoping to re-enter the winner’s circle this weekend when they welcome an undefeated Melbourne Victory to McDonald Jones stadium.
Oskar Zawada’s dramatic late winner ensured Rob Stanton’s side went down 2-1 to Wellington in Round 14 but they’re back on home soil for the third-straight game and will take confidence from the fact they’ve won two of their last three home matches.
In another positive for Newcastle, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos’ recent excellent form has seen him move outright second in the race for the golden boot with 10 goals already this season and he now sits just three behind Victory’s Bruno Fornaroli.
However a big concern for head coach Rob Stanton will be his side’s leaky defence. Only Brisbane (35) and Perth (31) have conceded more goals than the Jets (30) while Newcastle have also given away five penalties this season – more than any other side in the competition.
Melbourne Victory will arrive in Newcastle as the only undefeated side left in the competition however Tony Popovic’s team haven’t won since their dramatic Round 11 win over Perth.
The last time these two sides met, Victory came out on top in a 5-3 thriller at AAMI Park and their recent record against the Jets will fill them with confidence given they’ve won three of the last four meetings.
Victory have also shown their resilience this season, garnering more points from losing positions (9) than any other team in the league, undoubtedly a key reason as to why they find themselves challenging Wellington Phoenix at the top of the ladder.
With 16 goals conceded this season Popovic’s team also possesses the second-best defence in the competition behind Western Sydney (14) however 50% of those goals have been conceded off set-pieces – the highest percentage in the competition.
Opta Stat: The Newcastle Jets (86.4%) and Melbourne Victory (86.4%) have the highest passing accuracies of any teams in the A-League Men in 2024; though, the Victory (574) have attempted more than 100 passes more per game than the Jets (461).
Newcastle Jets v Melbourne Victory
Saturday, February 3 2023
McDonald Jones Stadium
Kick-off: 6:00pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: Paramount+
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Saturday, 7:45pm (AEDT): Adelaide United v Central Coast Mariners
The third of three fixtures on Saturday sees Adelaide United host reigning champions Central Coast Mariners at Coopers Stadium.
The Reds head into the game having won just three of their last 10 matches and have subsequently dropped down to eighth place on the ladder, three points outside the finals positions.
Adelaide’s form at Coopers Stadium has suffered across the season, recording just one win in their last five home matches (D2, L2).
The last time these two sides met though Carl Veart’s side did manage to put an end to their four-game losing streak against the Mariners, defeating them 3-0 in the opening round of the season.
Adelaide will be without defender Alexandar Popović though after the 21-year-old defender completed a transfer to K League 1 side Gwangju FC while first choice goalkeeper Joe Gauci is still away on international duty with the Socceroos.
As for the Mariners, Mark Jackson’s side are the competitions in-form team at present having gone unbeaten in their last 10 games, including winning four of their last six matches.
After losing their opening four matches the reigning champions have since soared up the Isuzu UTE A-League ladder and in to fourth place, just four points off top spot.
Jackson’s side have also kept two clean sheets in their last four away matches and, alongside Adelaide, Macarthur and Melbourne Victory, are the top scoring team in the league with 27 goals.
According to Opta date, the Mariners rank second when it comes to ‘big chances’ created (47) and in forward Ángel Torres they have one the league’s deadliest attackers. The Colombian has so far netted eight goals and registered two assists from 13 games whilst being named Player of the Match four times.
Finally, striker Ryan Edmondson could be in line to make his debut for the club having joined the Mariners from English League One side Carlisle United.
Opta Stat: The Central Coast Mariners have converted 45% of their 47 big scoring chances into goals this A-League Men season, the highest rate of any team in the competition; indeed, only Macarthur FC (48) have had more big chances than the Mariners (47) this season.
Adelaide United v Central Coast Mariners
Saturday, February 3 2023
Coopers Stadium
Kick-off: 7:45pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: Paramount+ 10 Bold
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Sunday, 5:00pm (AEDT): Macarthur FC v Western Sydney Wanderers
Macarthur FC kick off a tough run of four games in the space of 18 days on Sunday when they face local rivals Western Sydney Wanderers at Campbelltown Sports Stadium.
After losing three games in a row Mile Sterjovski’s team have now become the draw specialists in the Isuzu UTE A-League, drawing four of the last five matches and they now face the league’s top three sides in a row.
Their last meeting with the Wanderers ended in a 3-1 defeat for the Bulls at CommBank Stadium and Macarthur haven’t beaten Marko Rudan’s side in five matches.
However, the Wanderers may boast a superior record over the Bulls but they’ve never actually beaten them at Campbelltown Sports Stadium (D3, L1) and with Ulises Dávila and Valere Germain both in excellent form having scored seven goals each, Sterjovski’s side will fancy their chances.
Meanwhile in Western Sydney, Marko Rudan’s side sit third on the ladder after 14 rounds but their recent form has certainly been inconsistent given they’ve won four and lost four of the last eight matches.
In fact, the Wanderers haven’t won back-to-back League matches since November 2023 and this game promises to be a tight affair between two sides who have so far shone at opposite ends of the pitch.
Rudan’s side boast the best defence in the league having conceded just 14 goals and they’ve also kept the most clean sheets (7) in the competition. Add to that the fact they’re yet to drop a point once going in front in matches this season and it makes for a fascinating tactical battle at Campbelltown Stadium.
Having announced his intention to retire at the end of the current campaign, A-Leagues icon Miloš Ninković is likely to play a part for the Wanderers this weekend having made the trip to Tasmania for their recent 1-0 win over Western United.
Opta Stat: Macarthur FC have scored 10 goals in the 76th minute or later this A-League Men season – the most of any team in the competition – while no team has conceded fewer goals in this period than Western Sydney Wanderers FC (3).
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