Liberty A-League R15 Preview: Why you can expect the unexpected in battle between first and last

Round 15 in the Liberty A-League is here and the finals race is heating up, with just four points separating second from ninth on the table.

Get set for Round 15 below, with all the team news, broadcast information and ticket links.

Saturday, 2.15pm AEDT: Western United v Central Coast Mariners

Western United and Central Coast Mariners travel to Tasmania to face off for the very first time in Liberty A-League history to kick off Round 15 – and second-placed Western will hope to close the gap to league-leaders Melbourne City to just three points with a third consecutive victory.

But taking down the Mariners won’t be an easy feat for Kat Smith’s side. The Mariners have won three of their last four games – the same amount of wins the Gosford side managed in their previous 12 league fixtures.

This weekend’s clash between Western and the Mariners is the first game of a double-header at North Hobart Oval, with Western’s Isuzu UTE A-League side hosting Sydney FC in the second fixture in Tasmania.

FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)

Western United: D – W – L – W – W
Central Coast Mariners: D – W – W – L – W

POSITION

Western United: 2nd
Central Coast Mariners 5th

Opta stats

This will be the first meeting between Western United and Central Coast Mariners in the A-League Women; Western United have won eight of their 10 games in the competition when they’ve faced an opponent for the first time on the day.
Western United have won their last two games in the A-League Women; the last and only previous time they won more in succession was a seven-game streak on their first seven games in the competition in 2022-23.

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Saturday, 5.00pm AEDT: Adelaide United v Western Sydney Wanderers

After an upset win over Perth Glory in Round 14 ended Adelaide’s four-game losing streak, the Reds host Western Sydney Wanderers hoping to shock another top-six contender on Saturday evening.

Adelaide have an excellent recent record against their Round 15 opponent, winning their last four games against the Wanderers. Western Sydney last defeated Adelaide in November 2019 – but head coach Robbie Hooker will be hoping to buck that trend and avoid consecutive defeats after last weekend’s 3-1 loss to Brisbane.

That result ended Western Sydney’s four-game winning streak, and prevented Hooker’s side from jumping into third on the Liberty A-League table. Now they sit sixth, and need to respond against the 11th-placed Reds to continue a push toward the top of the table.

FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)

Adelaide United: L – L – L – L – W
Western Sydney Wanderers: W – W – W – W – L

POSITION

Adelaide United: 11th
Western Sydney Wanderers: 6th

Opta stats

Adelaide United have won their last four games against Western Sydney Wanderers in the A-League Women, keeping a clean sheet in each of their last three meetings; indeed, their last defeat to the Wanderers came in November 2019.
Western Sydney Wanderers are unbeaten in their last four A-League Women games when playing as the away team on the day (W3 D1), keeping two clean sheets in that period.

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Saturday, 6.00pm AEDT: Brisbane Roar v Melbourne Victory

In-form Matildas midfielder Tameka Yallop will look to continue where she left off after guiding Brisbane Roar to a big win over Western Sydney Wanderers when the Queenslanders host Melbourne Victory in a Saturday night clash teeming with international stars.

On Brisbane’s side there’s Yallop and fringe Matildas defender Jenna McCormick, while Victory boast a strong contingent of Matildas stars: Emily Gielnik, Alex Chidiac, Emma Checker and Elise Kellond-Knight lead the way for Jeff Hopkins’ side, with one-cap Matilda Rachel Lowe accompanied by emerging stars Jamilla Rankin and Alana Murphy.

Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams remains out for Victory; the club confirmed on Thursday the veteran is set for ankle surgery in a bid to return before the end of the season.

But there’s quality everywhere you look in this battle between two teams outside the top six and looking to break in.

FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)

Brisbane Roar: L – W – L – D – W
Melbourne Victory: L – L – D – W – D

POSITION

Brisbane Roar: 10th
Melbourne Victory: 8th

Opta stats

Brisbane Roar are undefeated in their last four A-League Women games against Melbourne Victory (W2 D2) despite not keeping a clean sheet in that period; they were held to a 1-all draw in their last meeting at Perry Park.
Melbourne Victory have won only one of their last six A-League Women games (D2 L3) after winning four of their six previous games in the competition (D2); each of their last two wins in the competition have come against Canberra United.

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Saturday, 7.00pm AEDT: Sydney FC v Perth Glory

It’s third hosting fourth in Saturday night’s high-stakes clash between Sydney FC and Perth Glory – with both teams desperate for three points and an end to their respectively indifferent spells of form.

Glory are winless in four games and bruising after a road defeat to Adelaide in Round 14. Alex Epakis’ Perth won four games on the bounce to start the season but have struggled to replicate the early form ever since.

Sydney meantime have two wins in five but can’t seem to string results together; the Sky Blues are yet to back up one win with another this season, with the latest example coming in a frustrating 1-1 draw to Melbourne Victory after defeating Newcastle Jets in Round 13.

These two sides met in mid-December and drew 0-0 at Macedonia Park.

FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)

Sydney FC: D – W – L – W – D
Perth Glory: W – L – D – D – L

POSITION

Sydney FC: 3rd
Perth Glory: 4th

Opta stats

Sydney FC are unbeaten in their last five A-League Women games against Perth Glory (W4 D1), scoring three or more goals in each of their four wins in that span and holding out for a nil-draw in their most recent meeting.
Perth Glory have won only one of their last seven A-League Women matches (D3 L3) and are winless in their last four (D2 L2); the last time they recorded a longer winless run in the competition was a 13-match span from February 2020 to March 2021 (D1 L12).

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Sunday, 5.00pm AEDT: Canberra United v Melbourne City

History does not look kindly on Canberra United as the team from the nation’s capital attempt to end a two-game losing streak against league-leading Melbourne City.

The Victorian outfit have relished clashes with Canberra in recent years, losing only one of the last eight games between the two sides (W6, D1). Four of those six wins to City have come in their last four meetings leading up to Sunday’s Round 15 showdown.

Canberra sit dead last on the Liberty A-League table but their position on the table is a peculiar one considering their lethal attack. Michelle Heyman and Vesna Milivojevic both have nine goals apiece this season and sit equal-top of the Golden Boot standings; Canberra’s 25 goals in total is the second-highest in the league behind only City (31).

Conceding 30 goals has been Canberra’s undoing. Only Adelaide have shipped more (31) through 14 rounds; City have leaked 22 – a higher number than all seven of the teams sat between second and eighth in the standings.

Both of these teams score freely yet concede with frequency, meaning you should expect the unexpected in Sunday’s matchup between first and last.

FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)

Canberra United: D – D – W – L – L
Melbourne City: W – W – L – W – L

POSITION

Canberra United: 12th
Melbourne City: 1st

Opta stats

Melbourne City have lost only one of their last eight A-League Women matches against Canberra United (W6 D1) – a 2-1 defeat in January 2021; they are undefeated in their four meetings since then (W3 D1).
Canberra United have lost each of their last two A-League Women matches, as many defeats as they logged across their seven games in the competition prior to that span (W2 D3 L2).

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Sunday, 5.00pm AEDT: Newcastle Jets v Wellington Phoenix

Wellington Phoenix travel across the ditch to meet Newcastle Jets on Sunday afternoon in an attempt to break a six-game losing run in Australia.

The ‘Nix registered a stirring victory in Round 14, taking down Canberra United 2-0 with thanks to a penalty save from substitute goalkeeper Brianna Edwards who replaced the sent-off Rylee Foster in the second half.

Foster will serve a one-match ban this weekend in a fixture initially scheduled to take place at Maitland Regional Sportsground, but relocated to No.2 Sportsground due to the Australian Professional League’s Heat Policy.

FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)

Newcastle Jets: W – D – W – L – L
Wellington Phoenix: L – L – L – L – W

POSITION

Newcastle Jets: 9th
Wellington Phoenix: 7th

Opta stats

Wellington Phoenix defeated Newcastle Jets 2-0 in their most recent meeting in the A-League Women (23 December 2023), snapping a three-match losing run against them; the Phoenix will be aiming for back-to-back wins against the Jets for the first time in the history of the competition.
Newcastle Jets have lost each of their last two A-League Women matches, as many defeats as they logged across their seven games in the competition prior to that span (W4 D1 L2).

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