The Ninja A-League is back this weekend and aleagues.com.au has everything you need to know ahead of Round 20 of the 2024-25 season.
Read on for a game-by-game preview ahead of Round 20.
*Melbourne City do not play due to their AFC Women’s Champions League quarter-final this weekend.
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Melbourne Victory v Newcastle Jets
Friday, March 21 – Home of the Matildas – 7pm AEDT
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Having not played last time out due to their clash with Western Sydney Wanderers being postponed due to excessive heat, Melbourne Victory will look to hit the ground running on Friday night.
Now five points behind league leaders Melbourne City albeit with a game in hand, Victory will be hoping to capitalise on the fact their city rivals aren’t in domestic action this weekend as they aim to extend their current eight-game unbeaten streak; a run which coincidentally started with a 2-0 win over the Jets.
However Jeff Hopkins’ side will have their work cut out against a resurgent Jets side on Friday given they head into this clash off the back of three-straight wins.
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Defeating Brisbane Roar 3-2 last time out care of Lauren Allan’s 95th minute winner, the Jets are well and truly in the race to seal a spot in the finals and know a win over Victory will help them apply plenty of pressure to the sides above them.
The bad news for the away side though is the fact they’ve lost nine of the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
Wellington Phoenix v Central Coast Mariners
Saturday, March 22 – Porirua Park – 2pm AEDT
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Saturday sees two sides in somewhat shaky form clash at Porirua Park in a game that could be pivotal in determining who seals a spot in this season’s Finals Series.
Wellington Phoenix come into the home clash sat eighth on the ladder and two points behind Central Coast mariners who occupy the all important sixth place.
With just one win, one draw and three losses from their last five matches the Nix will be hoping fortress Porirua Park can come to the rescue this weekend, where a win over the Mariners would see them finish the round in the top six.
On the other side of the equation are the Mariners. Without a win in five, Emily Husband’s side head across the ditch desperately seeking to maintain the gap between themselves and the sides below them.
Coming into the game off the back a gut-wrenching 3-3 draw with Perth which saw the Glory bag a 93rd minute equaliser, the Mariners have lost three of their last five matches and remain just a point ahead of Canberra in seventh.
The good news for the Mariners though is the fact they’ve won all three of their previous meetings with the Kiwi side.
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Canberra United v Sydney FC
Saturday, March 21 – McKellar Park – 4pm AEDT
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The crucial clashes just keep on coming in the Ninja A-League as Canberra United welcome Sydney FC to McKellar Park on Saturday afternoon.
Currently occupying seventh place on the ladder, Antoni Jagarinec’s side have hit a bad run of form at the wrong time having lost back-to-back matches – the most recent of which saw them take the lead three times against Western United before succumbing to a late 4-3 loss.
However, while they’re without a win in five matches they do sit just a point behind the Mariners in sixth, their remaining four fixtures this season are all against teams currently outside of the finals picture.
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For reigning Champions Sydney FC there hasn’t been too much to cheer this season, however last weekend’s dramatic late win over Wellington Phoenix at least lifted them off the foot of the ladder.
Princess Ibini’s 98th minute winner took the Sky Blues to 16 points for the campaign after recording what was just their fourth win of the season.
Perth Glory v Western Sydney Wanderers
Saturday, March 21 – Sam Kerr Football Centre – 8pm AEDT
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Currently sat six points outside the finals positions, Perth Glory will know that this weekend’s clash with the Wanderers is essentially a must win.
Having secured a crucial point against the Mariners last time out thanks to a dramatic 3-3 draw, Stephen Peters’ team now welcome the last placed Wanderers to Sam Kerr Football Centre as they bid to close the gap to the sides above them.
Currently running 10th on the ladder, a win for Glory coupled with results elsewhere could see them finish the round just four points outside the top six with three games left to play.
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As for the Wanderers, Geoff Abrahams’ side now find themselves dead-last on the ladder despite their good recent form.
After stringing together three straight wins, the Wanderers then suffered defeat a 2-1 loss to Wellington on March 9 before last weekend’s clash with Melbourne Victory was postponed due to extreme heat.
The Wanderers have won five of the last 10 meetings between the two.
Adelaide United v Brisbane Roar
Sunday , March 23 – Coopers Stadium – 4:30pm AEDT
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Adelaide United’s hopes of winning the Premiership took a big dent in Round 19 after they were outmuscled by leaders Melbourne City in a Ninja A-League classic.
Losing 4-3 at ctrl:cyber Pitch, defeat not only saw Adelaide fall seven points behind City at the top but also saw their impressive 11-game unbeaten run come to a halt, meaning they’ll be looking to bounce back on Sunday.
Despite that defeat, the positive for Adrian Stenta’s side is the fact they were still able to put three goals past Melbourne City, who previously had the joint-best defence in the league.
As for the opposition, Brisbane Roar head to South Australia looking to snap their four-game winless run.
Currently occupying fifth spot on the ladder, Alex Smith’s side have copped back-to-back losses against Sydney FC and Newcastle Jets respectively, whilst they’ve also conceded six goals in those two matches.
Sat just one point ahead of seventh-placed Canberra, Brisbane will be nervously monitoring their finals rivals’ progress over the weekend given they round out the matchday against the Reds.
