Round 19 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: Macarthur FC v Melbourne City
Mile Sterjovski’s Macarthur head into Friday night’s clash looking to end a run of two games without a win having most recently drawn 2-2 with Newcastle.
The last time these two sides met, Terry Antonis’ 93rd minute penalty prevented the Bulls from leaving AAMI Park with what would have been a statement win as the game finished in a thrilling 3-3 draw.
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But with three wins from their last six matches, the Bulls have cemented their spot in the top six and are two wins clear of City heading into what will be the club’s 100th Isuzu UTE A-League fixture.
In Valère Germain Macarthur have a man in form and he’ll be looking to add to his 11 goals this season when he comes up against a City defence that has leaked 10 goals in their last five matches.
Sat in seventh place, Aurelio Vidmar’s Melbourne City head into the game looking to end a run of four matches without a win but the good news is they’ve got a good record when it comes to playing Macarthur.
In fact, City have never lost to Mile Sterjovski’s team, winning five and drawing three of their eight meetings. They’ve also scored at least one goal in all of their meetings with the Bulls.
Even better news for City fans is that star midfielder Tolgay Arslan will be available for the game at Campbelltown Sports Stadium having served the final game of his three match suspension.
However something that will no doubt be a cause for concern for City is that they’ve picked up just one point from their last five games away from AAMI Park.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Macarthur FC: D – W – W – L – D
- Melbourne City: W – L – L – D – D
POSITION
- Macarthur FC: 4th
- Melbourne City: 7th
OPTA STATS
- Valère Germain (Macarthur FC) has been directly involved in eight goals across his last five appearances in the A-League Men, scoring five goals and making three assists across that term; though, he neither scored nor assisted a goal in his only previous game against Melbourne City FC in the competition.
- Jamie Maclaren (Melbourne City) has not scored a goal in his last eight A-League Men games and has only once before gone longer without scoring a goal in the competition (11 games from November 2013 to March 2014).
Saturday, 5:00pm AEDT: Western United v Perth Glory
They may be bottom of the ladder but John Aloisi’s Western United will feel they could and probably should have been in a much better position heading into round 19 than they currently find themselves.
Western have conceded three stoppage time goals in their last two games which resulted in a dramatic late loss to Melbourne Victory before they then coughed up a late lead against Brisbane Roar.
Sat in 12th position with just 12 points to their name, Western now find themselves seven points adrift at the bottom of the ladder and are closing in on a first ever wooden spoon.
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Aloisi’s side have lost their last four matches at MARS Stadium but the good news is they’ve won five of their last six games against Perth Glory.
As for Perth, Alen Stajcic’s side are unbeaten in their last six games (W3, D3) and a win over Western could see them sit just four points outside the finals positions come the end of the round.
Glory’s great run has been largely aided by the in-form striker Adam Taggart, who with 12 goals to his name this season, finds himself just two goals behind Newcastle’s Apostolos Stamatelopoulos in the race for the Golden Boot.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Western United: D – L – W – L – D
- Perth Glory: D – W – D – W – D
POSITION
- Western United: 12th
- Perth Glory: 9th
OPTA STATS
- Western United (-9.4) have trailed their Expected Goals by more than any other team this A-League Men season while Perth Glory (+6.4) have outperformed their xG by more than any other team; in fact, Western United FC’s 18 goals are only just more than half as many as Perth Glory (35) have scored this season.
- David Williams (Perth Glory) has scored four goals as a substitute in the 2023-24 A-League Men season, the most of any player, while only Carlo Armiento (17) has made more shots as a substitute than Williams (16); only once has a Glory substitute scored more goals in a season (Jamie Maclaren – 5 in 2014-15).
Saturday, 6:00pm AEDT: Newcastle Jets v Central Coast Mariners
Without a win in their last five matches, the Jets are running out of time if they are to make a late push to play finals football.
Newcastle host fierce rivals Central Coast Mariners at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday and it’s a fixture that hasn’t gone their way in recent years, losing the last four F3 Derbies at home to the Mariners.
The Jets come into the contest off the back of a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Macarthur in round 18 where Rob Stanton’s young side twice came from behind to snatch a point.
Having made an impressive impact off the bench young star Archie Goodwin could be in line to start his first game of the season while the Jets will be hoping Apostolos Stamatelopoulos can continue his excellent goalscoring form which has seen him move clear at the top of the Golden Boot standings with 14 goals.
As for the Mariners, Mark Jackson’s side head into the clash having removed a rather large weight off their shoulders. Round 18’s 1-0 over Melbourne Victory not only moved them into outright second on the ladder but it also represented their first ever away win against Victory.
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The Mariners are certainly a team in form at the moment and their deep run in the AFC Cup is seemingly galvanising Jackson’s side when it comes to their A-League form given they’ve lost just one of their last 15 domestic matches.
A win at McDonald Jones Stadium will send the Mariners to the top of the league, albeit Wellington can retake the position come Sunday afternoon, and the good news is they’ve won six of their last seven games against the Jets.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Newcastle Jets: L – D – D – L – D
- Central Coast Mariners: W – D – L – W – W
POSITION
- Newcastle Jets: 11th
- Central Coast Mariners: 2nd
OPTA STATS
- Newcastle Jets have conceded 9.1 fouls per game this A-League Men campaign, the fewest of any team, and been shown a league-low 23 cards (22 yellow, 1 red) while only Macarthur FC (48) have seen more cards than Central Coast Mariners (44; 39 yellow, 5 red).
- Josh Nisbet (Central Coast Mariners) has made six assists this A-League Men season, the joint-most of any player in the competition and has outpaced his Expected Assists by 3.8 – more than any other player.
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Saturday, 7:45pm AEDT: Western Sydney Wanderers v Sydney FC
The second Sydney Derby of the season takes place in Round 19 and the Wanderers will be looking to make it two from two having beaten the Sky Blues 1-0 back in round five.
But just because the Wanderers are at home doesn’t necessarily mean they’re favourites for the clash at CommBank Stadium given the last five encounters between these two sides have been won by the away team on the day.
Marko Rudan’s Western Sydney have only won one of their last four Isuzu UTE A-League matches at home and have conceded five goals in their last two games there.
A big boost for the Wanderers will be the return of defender Tom Beadling following suspension while Rudan will also be back on the touchline following a two-match ban.
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As for Sydney FC, Ufuk Talay’s team come into the game unbeaten in six matches and out for revenge following that defeat earlier in the season.
The Sky Blues have steadily risen up the ladder since Talay took charge and find themselves sat in 6th place, one point behind the Wanderers.
Key to Sydney’s improving form has been the way they start games – no side in the competition has scored more (eight) or conceded fewer (two) goals in the opening 15 minutes of games this season.
A big blow for Talay’s side will be the absence of captain Luke Brattan who misses the game due to suspension meaning young midfielder Jake Girdwood-Reich is likely to be re-deployed in the heart of midfield having recently been filling in at centre-back.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Western Sydney Wanderers: W – L – D – L – W
- Sydney FC: D – D – W – W – D
POSITION
- Western Sydney Wanderers: 5th
- Sydney FC: 6th
OPTA STATS
- Nicolas Milanovic (Western Sydney Wanderers) has been directly involved in four goals across his last four A-League Men games (3 goals, 1 assist) but has neither scored nor assisted a goal against Sydney FC from nine previous appearances against them in the competition.
- Joe Lolley (Sydney FC) has won possession 22 times in the final third this A-League Men season, more than any other player in the competition; however, Western Sydney Wanderers are one of only two teams against whom Lolley is yet to register a goal or an assist (also against Macarthur FC).
Sunday, 3:00pm AEDT: Wellington Phoenix v Adelaide United
Giancarlo Italiano’s Wellington Phoenix are still on top of the table but could be knocked off their perch by the time they kick off against Adelaide on Sunday.
Should the Mariners beat Newcastle on Saturday then they will climb to the top of the ladder but the ‘Nix will regain top spot with a point or more against the Reds, and they’ll fancy their chances of doing so in what will be the club’s 450th Isuzu UTE A-League match.
Wellington are currently riding high on an impressive nine-game unbeaten run and they’ve conceded one goal or fewer in each of their last seven Isuzu UTE A-League matches, including three clean sheets in their last four games.
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Add to that the fact Adelaide will arrive in Wellington having lost five of their last six matches outside of South Australia then New Zealanders will be the heavy favourites to maintain their three point lead at the top.
Finally, should Kosta Barbarouses score against Adelaide on Sunday then he will overtake Archie Thompson (90) as the fifth highest goal scorer in the A-League Men and could even surpass Shane Smeltz (92) if he were to score a hat-trick.
A run of four defats from five games has seen Carl Veart’s Reds drop down to 10th on the ladder and their chances of qualifying for the finals are now looking slim given they now sit eight points outside the top six.
Veart will be without forward Ben Halloran for the clash at Sky Stadium after he was sent off during their 2-1 loss to Western Sydney although they are hopeful striker Hiroshi Ibusuki will return to the first team squad after injury in what would be the Japanese forward’s 50th starting berth in the competition.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Wellington Phoenix: D – D – W – W – D
- Adelaide United: L – L – D – L – L
POSITION
- Wellington Phoenix: 1st
- Adelaide United: 10th
OPTA STATS
- Wellington Phoenix duo Finn Surman (114) and Scott Wootton (105) have made more clearances than any other players in the 2023/24 A-League Men season; indeed, Brian Kaltak (103) is the only other player to have made 100+ clearances this season.
- Adelaide United made 40.5 penalty area entries per game in the A-League Men in February 2024, the second most of any team in the competition (Melbourne Victory – 40.8); though, they trailed their xG by 2.7 goals which was the second biggest negative difference of any team.
Sunday, 5:00pm AEDT: Brisbane Roar v Melbourne Victory
Brisbane Roar head into round 19 of the Isuzu UTE A-League knowing a win over Melbourne Victory could leave them just two points outside the top six come the end of the round.
A stoppage time equaliser from Jonas Markovski rescued a point Ruben Zadkovich’s side against Western United in round 18 but Brisbane have recorded just one win in their last five matches.
A positive for Zadkovich though is the fact his side are unbeaten in their last three games at Suncorp Stadium, all of which have come during his tenure.
Brisbane are unbeaten in their last five games against Melbourne Victory, winning two and drawing three, albeit they’ve only scored three goals during those matches.
As for Melbourne Victory, they head into this one still stinging from their narrow 1-0 loss to Central Coast Mariners in round 18 – a result which now leaves them six points off top spot having lost two of their last four matches.
What makes this fixture even more complicated for Tony Popovic’s team, is the fact they’ll also be without captain Roderick Miranda and defender Jordi Valadon for the clash at Suncorp Stadium after both were sent off during that recent defeat to Central Coast
But while Victory may have suffered their only two defeats of the season in the last four matches both of those losses occurred at home, while away from AAMI Park they’re actually 10 games unbeaten.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Brisbane Roar: L – D – W – L – D
- Melbourne Victory: D – L – D – W – L
POSITION
- Brisbane Roar: 8th
- Melbourne Victory: 3rd
OPTA STATS
- Jay O’Shea (Brisbane Roar) has scored five goals from inside the box from 14 touches inside the box this A-League Men season, the most frequent (one every 2.8 touches inside the box) of any player in the competition (min. 10 touches in the opposition box).
- Melbourne Victory have made 19 shots from direct free kicks this A-League Men season, seven more than any other team in the competition, but are yet to score via this method; Brisbane Roar (9) have made 10 fewer direct free kick shots but have scored one goal from those attempts.
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