Round 23 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.
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Friday, 7:45pm (AEDT): Western Sydney Wanderers v Brisbane Roar
Western Sydney Wanderers seem to have rediscovered themselves but can they arrest their winless run against Brisbane Roar?
The Wanderers had suffered three consecutive defeats, including an historic 7-0 loss away to Melbourne City, before reeling off wins on the road against Perth Glory and Macarthur FC to get their season back on track.
But Marko Rudan’s finals-chasing side must do something they have not done since May 2021 – beat the Roar.
Western Sydney are seven games without a victory against Brisbane (L3 D4), having overturned a two-goal deficit to salvage a 2-2 draw in December.
The Roar are eighth and eight points outside the top six following a run of back-to-back defeats.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Western Sydney Wanderers: L – D – W – W – L
- Brisbane Roar: L – L – D – W – D
POSITION
- Western Sydney Wanderers: 6th
- Brisbane Roar: 8th
OPTA STATS
- Each of the last four A-League Men games between Western Sydney Wanderers FC and Brisbane Roar FC have ended in a draw on the day while the Wanderers have won only one of their last 11 games against the Roar (D6 L4).
- Western Sydney Wanderers FC are unbeaten in their last three A-League Men games against Brisbane Roar FC at CommBank Stadium (W1 D2) after leading 1-0 at half-time in each of those three games.
- Western Sydney Wanderers FC are winless in their last four A-League Men games at CommBank Stadium (D1 L3), conceding an average of three goals per game across that stretch; though, they have scored at least one goal in each of their last five games at the venue.
Saturday, 3:30pm (AEDT): Western United v Macarthur FC
More history will be made in Melbourne’s west when Western United play their first ever Isuzu UTE A-League match the Regional Football Facility Tarneit.
The venue has already hosted the club’s Liberty A-League side last month and now it is men’s turn to play football at their new home.
Western are bottom of the Isuzu UTE A-League standings but it is a “new beginning” for the 2021-22 champions.
The last time these two sides met, they played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in Campbelltown, where Macarthur captain Ulises Davila scored a hat-trick – including a 90th-minute equaliser after a quick-fire Daniel Penha double had put Western ahead in January.
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FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Western United: L – D – W – W – D
- Macarthur FC: L – W – L – W – D
POSITION
- Western United: 12th
- Macarthur FC: 5th
OPTA STATS
- Macarthur FC are undefeated in their last four A-League Men games against Western United FC (W1 D3); though, they’ve kept only a single clean sheet in that period.
- This will be just the third meeting between Western United FC and Macarthur FC in Victoria in the A-League Men with Western United FC unbeaten in their previous two such fixtures (W1 D1).
- Western United FC are set to host an A-League Men game at Regional Football Facility in Tarneit for the first time and have won three of their last six games in the competition in Victoria (D1 L2).
Saturday, 5:30pm (AEDT): Central Coast Mariners v Wellington Phoenix
Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready?
It is first against second on Saturday evening as defending champions and Premiership-chasing Central Coast Mariners welcome leaders Wellington Phoenix to Gosford.
Only three points separate the teams in the race for the Premier’s Plate heading into the final four rounds of the regular season.
The Mariners have only lost one of their past 10 home matches in the league (W7 D2) after a 93rd-minute winner guided them past three-time reigning premiers Melbourne City on Tuesday night.
As for the Phoenix, they have tasted defeat just one in their last 13 matches in the competition.
The last time Wellington won at Industree Group Stadium was back in January 2021 thanks to an 88th-minute goal.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Central Coast Mariners: W – L – W – W – W
- Wellington Phoenix: W – W – L – W – D
POSITION
- Central Coast Mariners: 2nd
- Wellington Phoenix: 1st
OPTA STATS
- The Central Coast Mariners have lost only one of their last six A-League Men games against the Wellington Phoenix (W2 D3); though, three of their last four meetings have ended in a draw on the day (L1).
- The Wellington Phoenix have won three of their last five A-League Men games against the Central Coast Mariners at Industree Group Stadium (D1 L1), outscoring the Mariners 14-10 across that term including an 8-2 win in March 2019.
- Central Coast Mariners have won five of their last six A-League Men matches (L1), despite leading at halftime on the day only once in that span; the Mariners have kept a clean sheet across their six first halves in that span.
- The Wellington Phoenix have won five of their last seven A-League Men games (D1 L1) including their last two in a row; the last time they won more than two straight games in the competition was a three-game streak in January 2023.
Saturday, 7:45pm (AEDT): Melbourne Victory v Melbourne City
Bragging rights are up for grabs in Melbourne as Victory and rivals City go head-to-head at AAMI Park on Saturday night.
Victory are third and still a slim chance of Premiership glory, while seventh-placed City are fighting to qualify for the Finals Series.
Tony Popovic’s Victory are three games unbeaten thanks to Bruno Fornaroli’s brace against Perth Glory, which put him in control of the Golden Boot race and maintained the club’s undefeated streak.
City’s three-game undefeated run was ended at the death by the Mariners during the week as Marco Tilio and Mathew Leckie made their returns.
Can the teams buck a trend this weekend? The previous two fixtures have ended goalless – the first of its kind in the history of the Melbourne Derby.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Melbourne Victory: W – D – W – L – L
- Melbourne City: L – D – W – W – L
POSITION
- Melbourne Victory: 3rd
- Melbourne City: 7th
OPTA STATS
- Each of the last two A-League Men games between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City FC have ended in a goalless draw on the day with the sides trading two wins apiece across their four previous encounters.
- Melbourne Victory have scored exactly two goals in each of their last four A-League Men matches (W2 D1 L1); the last time they scored multiple goals in more consecutive games was a five-match span from January to February in 2019 (W4 D1).
- Melbourne City FC have lost only one of their last 20 A-League Men matches at AAMI Park (W13 D6) – a 2-1 loss against Western United FC (21 October 2023); they have kept a clean sheet across their last five games at the venue in that span (W3 D2) – their longest such run in the history of the competition.
- Melbourne Victory will be aiming for back-to-back wins at AAMI Park in the A-League Men for the first time since February 2023, following their 2-1 win against Perth Glory in their last match at the venue (31 March 2024).
Sunday, 3:00pm (AEST): Newcastle Jets v Sydney FC
Newcastle Jets will be out to snap their drought against Sydney FC when they welcome the high-flying Sky Blues to McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Jets have lost three straight games against Sydney, failing to score in any of the defeats since trumping the side from the Harbour City 2-0 in March 2022.
Newcastle, though, will be buoyed by their performance away to star-studded Melbourne City after the youthful Jets earned a point.
Sydney had Jake Girdwood-Reich sent off in the 1-1 draw with Perth Glory on Wednesday night but the result lifted Ufuk Talay’s men – beaten just once in 11 matches – up to fourth in the standings and just three points behind Victory.
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FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Newcastle Jets: D – L – D – L – D
- Sydney FC: D – W – L – D – W
POSITION
- Newcastle Jets: 7th
- Sydney FC: 4th
OPTA STATS
- Sydney FC have won their last three A-League Men matches against Newcastle Jets by an aggregate score of 8-0; the last and only time the Sky Blues recorded a longer winning run against the Jets in the competition was a nine-match span from March 2015 to November 2017.
- Sydney FC will be aiming for back-to-back wins against Newcastle Jets at McDonald Jones Stadium in the A-League Men for the first time since December 2016, following the Sky Blues’ 2-0 victory when they last met at the venue (1 January 2023).
- Newcastle Jets are winless in their last nine A-League Men matches (D5 L4) and have conceded a clean sheet in each of their last two games in that span (D1 L1); the last time the Jets failed to score in more successive games was a five-match span from March to April in 2017 (L5).
- Sydney FC have lost only one of their last seven A-League Men matches away from Allianz Stadium (W3 D3) – a 1-2 loss against Wellington Phoenix (16 March 2024); although, the Sky Blues have neither kept or conceded a clean sheet in that span.
Sunday, 5:00pm (AEST): Perth Glory v Adelaide United
All eyes will be on Nestory Irankunda after his history-making exploits in Round 22.
The Adelaide United teenager became the youngest player in Isuzu UTE A-League history to score a hat-trick last week and he will head to Perth, along with his teammates, full of confidence.
Adelaide, who remain an outside chance of qualifying for the finals, have won back-to-back matches while Perth are six games without victory.
This showdown should guarantee goals given the fact 14 goals have been scored in the previous two matches following 3-3 and 4-4 draws.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Perth Glory: D – L – L – D – L
- Adelaide United: W – W – L – L – L
POSITION
- Perth Glory: 10th
- Adelaide United: 9th
OPTA STATS
- Adelaide United are undefeated in their last seven A-League Men matches against Perth Glory (W4 D3); the last and only time the Reds recorded a longer unbeaten run against the Glory in the competition was a nine-match span from November 2012 to February 2015 (W4 D5).
- Perth Glory have lost only one of their last eight A-League Men matches against Adelaide United at HBF Park (W4 D3 – inc. penalty shootouts), a 1-2 defeat in March 2022; although, the Glory have led at halftime on the day in only three of their eight meetings in that span.
- Adelaide United have won each of their last two A-League Men matches, as many as they won across their 15 games in the competition prior to that span (W2 D3 L10); the last time the Reds recorded a longer winning run in the competition was a four-match span in March 2023.
- Perth Glory have lost only one of their last six A-League Men matches at HBF Park (W2 D3) – a 1-2 defeat against Western Sydney Wanderers FC (16 March 2024); the Glory have not led at halftime on the day in any of their six games at the venue in that span.
