The penultimate round of the Isuzu UTE A-League season kicks off this Friday night! With Central Coast Mariners’ clash with Adelaide United postponed, aleagues.com.au previews all five of the remaining contests…
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FIXTURE POSTPONED: Central Coast v Adelaide Round 25 Isuzu UTE A-League fixture postponed: Details
Friday, 7:45pm (AEST): Newcastle Jets v Wellington Phoenix
Wellington head coach Giancarlo Italiano has revealed star striker Oskar Zawada has made a speedy recovery from a muscle injury and will make the trip to McDonald Jones Stadium to face Newcastle Jets this weekend.
The Polish striker has five goals from 15 appearances in an injury-riddled campaign but his surprise return comes at a crucial time for the ‘Nix as they look to jump back to the top of the Isuzu UTE A-League table on Friday night.
“Over the last couple of weeks, his rehab has gone better than expected,” revealed Italiano.
“I think it was towards the end of last week he ran uninhibited and was able to get full function and no pain in his leg after the session.
“So that was quite promising. And then after discussion with the physio we thought as though he could be integrated back to training and then if he had, you know, a good week of training then it could be valuable for some minutes against the Jets.”
For the second week in a row Wellington have the opportunity to take top spot before reigning Champions Central Coast Mariners – currently sat at the top of the tree – have kicked a ball.
Finn Surman’s 95th minute winner against Melbourne Victory in Round 24 sent the ‘Nix back to the top of the ladder before the Mariners then regained that spot thanks to a 2-0 win over Western United.
However, with the Mariners making a long trip to Kyrgyzstan in midweek for the first leg of their AFC Cup Inter Zonal final before then having to back it up with a home clash against Adelaide, there’s a chance a win could put Giancarlo Italiano’s side back in pole position to seal the Premiers Plate on the final day of the season.
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As for Newcastle, Rob Stanton’s side have seemingly turned a corner heading into the final two rounds of the season having picked up eight points from their last five games.
Powered by the goals of Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, the Aussie striker will be hoping to add to his tally of 16 goals in Round 25 which currently has him just two behind Golden Boot leader Bruno Fornaroli.
Another boost for the Jets is that fact Wellington Phoenix have also lost each of their last two A-League matches in Australia although the Phoenix have won two of their last three against Newcastle.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Newcastle Jets: D – L – D – W – W
- Wellington Phoenix: L – W – W – L – W
POSITION
- Newcastle Jets: 10th
- Wellington Phoenix: 2nd
OPTA STATS
- Newcastle Jets are undefeated in their last three A-League Men matches (W2 D1) and have won each of their last two games; the last time the Jets recorded a longer winning run in the competition was a three- match span from February to March in 2018.
- Wellington Phoenix have conceded 25 goals in the 2023-24 A-League Men season, 12.3 fewer than their Expected Goals Against value suggests – the best performance of any team in the competition.
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Saturday, 3:30pm (AEST): Western Sydney Wanderers v Melbourne City
Arguably the biggest game of the season for both sides and a contest Wanderers boss Marko Rudan labelled ‘winner takes all’ after their recent 2-1 loss to Sydney FC.
With two games remaining and just one point separating Western Sydney in sixth and Melbourne City in seventh, the home side will guarantee their spot in this year’s Finals Series with a win at CommBank Stadium.
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However, with no Nicolas Milanovic and Lachlan Brook due to being away on Olyroos duty and Brandon Borrello almost certainly ruled out due to a hamstring injury sustained against Sydney FC, Rudan will have to hope the likes of Marcus Antonsson, Dylan Pierias and the retiring Milos Ninkovic can inspire their team to victory.
As for the visitors, their stunning 8-0 win over Perth Glory in Round 24 reignited City’s push for the finals and they know a win over the Wanderers on Saturday afternoon will leave them in pole position to qualify.
“All we can do is keep fighting. Every game since last week was a final and this weekend is no different,” said Melbourne City head coach Aurelio Vidmar in his pre-match press conference.
“The big games you’ve got to get up for, even the small games you’ve got to get up for but as we saw this season, anyone can beat anyone doesn’t matter where you are on the table. It’s just been a ibzare season.
“We mentioned last week, before the Perth game, that this is a final. Now this is a final for us, it is a Grand Final, for both teams really. A win puts you in a better position and a loss knocks you out basically.”
Aurelio Vidmar’s side have only lost one of their last 10 meetings against the Wanderers; however that defeat did come in their most recent meeting, a 1-0 loss at CommBank Stadium back in January.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Western Sydney Wanderers: W – L – W – L – L
- Melbourne City: W – D – L – L – W
POSITION
- Western Sydney Wanderers: 6th
- Melbourne City: 7th
OPTA STATS
- Western Sydney Wanderers are winless in their last five A-League Men matches at CommBank Stadium (D1 L4), conceding at least two goals on the day in each of those five games; the last and only time the Wanderers recorded a longer winless run at the venue was a six-match span from November 2019 to February 2020 (D3 L3).
- Melbourne City are winless in their last seven A-League Men matches outside Victoria (D1 L6), conceding 2.4 goals per game across that span; the last and only time they recorded a longer winless run outside their home state was a 26-match span from January 2012 to January 2014 (D7 L19).
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Saturday, 5:30pm (AEST): Melbourne Victory v Brisbane Roar
They may now be unable to crack the top two in the league this season but Melbourne Victory’s strong finish to the Isuzu UTE A-League regular season means they can guarantee themselves a top four finish with a win this weekend.
Despite being beaten 1-0 by Wellington Phoenix last time out, Tony Popovic’s side had won three out of their four fixtures prior to that game and have seemingly rediscovered their scoring touch.
Victory have lost only one of their last six A-League Men matches in Victoria (W3 D2) and have
won each of their last two games in their home state; the last time they recorded a longer winning run in such fixtures was a three-match span from March to May in 2019.
Meanwhile Bruno Fornaroli will also look to take a big step towards securing this season’s Golden Boot given he currently sits atop the charts with 18 goals – one clear of Adam Taggart.
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As for Brisbane Roar, their hopes of qualifying for this season’s Finals Series are that small that only a footballing miracle would see them break into the top six.
Currently five points behind Western Sydney in sixth, Brisbane need the Wanderers and City to draw this weekend and then hope both sides lose in the final round of the season.
To make matters even harder, they also need to win both of their remaining matches against Victory (A) and Adelaide (H) and even then they will need an extraordinary swing in goal difference to seal a top six finish.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Melbourne Victory: W – D – W – W – L
- Brisbane Roar: D – L – L – W – L
POSITION
- Melbourne Victory: 3rd
- Brisbane Roar: 9th
OPTA STATS
- Bruno Fornaroli (Melbourne Victory) has been directly involved in six goals in his last five A-League Men matches (5 goals, 1 assist); although, he’s scored only two goals in his last seven games against Brisbane Roar FC in the competition.
- Brisbane Roar have lost only one of their last 10 A-League Men matches against Melbourne Victory (W6, D3) and have won their last three meetings; a fourth consecutive win in this game would be the Roar’s outright longest winning run against the Victory in the history of the competition.
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Saturday, 7:45pm (AEST): Macarthur FC v Sydney FC
Macarthur’s extraordinary Round 24 win over Adelaide United not only dented the Reds’ hopes of finishing in the top six but it also gave them a huge shot in the arm in their push to secure a top four finish.
Their 2-1 away win at Coopers Stadium leaves them sat in fifth spot on the ladder, but crucially, four points clear of the Wanderers below them and five clear of Melbourne City and as such, guarantees them a spot in the finals given those two sides play each other this weekend and therefore both cannot obtain maximum points.
Now eyeing off a top four finish, the Bulls though will be without defender Yianni Nicolaou for the rest of the regular season after he was handed a two-game ban following his sending off against Adelaide while captain Ulises Davila remains suspended for this match as he serves the final game of his two-match suspension.
Meanwhile Sydney FC head south west of the Harbour City with a spring in their step following their dramatic late win over rivals Western Sydney in the Sydney Derby.
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Jaiden Kucharski’s 98th minute winner not only secured the bragging rights for Ufuk Talay’s side but more importantly, secured the Sky Blues a spot in the Finals Series and inched them above Macarthur and into fourth by virtue of having one more win.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Macarthur FC: L – W – L – L – W
- Sydney FC: L – W – D – L – W
POSITION
- Macarthur FC: 5th
- Sydney FC: 4th
OPTA STATS
- Macarthur FC have won each of their last two A-League Men matches against Sydney FC, keeping a clean sheet across those two meetings; the Bulls had won only two of all their six games against the Sky Blues in the competition prior to that span (W2 D1 L3).
- Sydney FC have won five of their last six A-League Men matches against New South Wales opposition (L1); although, the Sky Blues’ only defeat in that span came in their most recent fixture as the away team on the day (1-3 v Newcastle Jets – 7 April 2024).
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Sunday, 5:00pm (AEST): Perth Glory v Western United
Perth Glory will be aiming to put on a much better performance in front of their home fans following their recent horror show on the road to Melbourne City.
An 8-0 defeat at AAMI Park saw the club issue an apology to their supporters following the match, with the result leaving Glory marooned at the bottom of the ladder, winless in eight matches and now having suffered four defeats in their last five.
In what’s been a difficult season for Alen Stajcic and co a real positive has been he exceptional goalscoring form of striker Adam Taggart, who with 17 goals to his name currently sits one behind Bruno Fornaroli in the race for the Golden Boot.
Western United head to HBF Park following their midweek 3-3 draw with Adelaide where a dramatic late goal from Connor O’Toole rescued a point for John Aloisi’s side.
Sat a point ahead of Glory on the ladder, these two sides are now in a straight shoot-out to avoid this season’s Wooden Spoon and a win for Western would help them achieve that feat and subsequently condemn Glory to a 12th placed finish with one game to go.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Perth Glory: L – L – D – L – L
- Western United: D – L – W – L – D
DPOSITION
- Perth Glory: 12th
- Western United: 11th
OPTA STATS
- Perth Glory are winless in their last eight A-League Men matches (D3 L5), conceding at least four goals on the day in each of their last two games in that span; the Glory have not conceded 4+ goals in more than two consecutive games in their history in the competition (also 2 in September – October 2008 and April 2023).
- Western United have won six of their last seven A-League Men matches against Perth Glory (L1), including each of their last three; a fourth consecutive win in this game would be their outright longest winning run against the Glory in their history in the competition.
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