Round 18 of the Liberty A-League season is upon us! Ahead of the action getting underway, aleagues.com.au previews all six of the contests.
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Saturday, 5pm AEDT: Western Sydney Wanderers v Sydney FC
Sydney FC travel to face Western Sydney Wanderers in the showpiece fixture of Round 18, and recent history is well and truly in favour of the Sky Blues.
Western Sydney are without a goal against their local rivals across the past eight Sydney Derbies – with the Sky Blues winning seven of those games (one 0-0 draw), scoring 15 goals to the Wanderers’ zero.
The last time Western Sydney claimed derby honours was in December, 2019 when a star-studded outfit headlined by United States international Lynn Williams and that season’s eventual Julie Dolan Medal winner Kristen Hamilton won 5-0.
Fast-forward to 2024 and Sydney FC are steadily climbing the table in pursuit of top spot and a fourth consecutive Premiers Plate. Bad weather resulted in the postponement of Sydney’s last fixture against Canberra United, and with a game in hand over both Melbourne City and Western United, Ante Juric’s side sit just five points off the top of the table.
The Wanderers meantime are seventh, level on points with Newcastle occupying the last spot up for grabs in the finals series.
LEAGUE POSITION
- Western Sydney: 7th
- Sydney FC: 3rd
FORM (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Western Sydney: W – L – L – W – L
- Sydney FC: L – W – D – W – D
OPTA STATS
- Sydney FC are undefeated in their last eight A-League Women games against Western Sydney Wanderers FC (W7 D1), keeping a clean sheet in all eight of those games; their last defeat to the Wanderers was a 0-5 loss in December 2019.
- Western Sydney Wanderers FC won 1-0 against Melbourne Victory in their last A-League Women game at CommBank Stadium but lost each of their four previous games without scoring a single goal at the venue prior to that result.
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Friday, 4.30pm AEDT: Western United v Canberra United
It’s the return of the Matildas in this Friday’s Round 18 opener between Western United and Canberra United, as Michelle Heyman and Chloe Logarzo get back from the international camp to headline this Friday afternoon clash.
Heyman made her long-awaited return to the Matildas squad ahead of a two-legged Olympic qualifier against Uzbekistan and scored off the bench in her first appearance in eight years; the Canberra striker returns to her club as the league’s leading goalscorer (12 goals) but is facing stiff competition after Newcastle’s Sarina Bolden took her tally to 11 with a Round 17 hat-trick.
Western United’s Logarzo made a Matildas comeback of her own in the latest international window and after Wednesday’s second leg against Uzbekistan in Melbourne, will remain in Victoria ahead of Friday’s Liberty A-League fixture. Whether the two players feature in their respective squads will be confirmed on Thursday via the A-Leagues’ weekly Ins & Outs submissions.
LEAGUE POSITION
- Western United: 1st
- Canberra United: 12th
FORM (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Western United: W – W – W – W – W
- Canberra United: W – L – L – W – D
OPTA STATS
- This will be the fourth meeting between Western United FC and Canberra United in the A-League Womenwith the teams splitting one win each and a draw from those fixtures; Canberra won 3-0 in their only previous encounter at City Vista Recreation Reserve.
- Western United FC have won their last five consecutive games in the A-League Women which is as many as they had won across their 13 previous games in the competition (W5 D2 L6).
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Saturday, 4pm AEDT: Brisbane Roar v Melbourne City
Melbourne City are on a five-game winless run and as a result, have given up top spot on the Liberty A-League table.
City led the league from Round 9 but slid into second after a Round 17 draw with 11th-placed Adelaide United. Young star Daniela Galic scored for City in that 1-1 stalemate with the Reds but is unavailable for Round 18 due to international commitments with the Young Matildas.
City travel to face Brisbane Roar with the home side on a poor run of form of their own, losing three games on the bounce leading into Round 18.
Neutrals will be hoping these two teams reproduce the entertainment of the 5-3 win to City over Roar when these two teams last met in late December.
LEAGUE POSITION
- Brisbane Roar: 10th
- Melbourne City: 2nd
FORM (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Brisbane Roar: D – W – L – L – L
- Melbourne City: W – L – L – D – D
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Sunday, 2pm AEDT: Melbourne Victory v Wellington Phoenix
After an injury-interrupted start to her comeback season in the Liberty A-League, Matildas striker Emily Gielnik is in a purple patch of form and powering her side up the table.
Three of Gielnik’s four goals this season have come in her last two appearances and a brace in Victory’s 4-0 win over Western Sydney in Round 17 was the international striker’s best performance of the season to date.
Gielnik has been somewhat of a lucky charm of Jeff Hopkins’ side this season, having not featured on a losing side all season (five wins, three draws). Victory have gone six games unbeaten heading into Round 18 and face a Phoenix outfit desperate for an uplift in form on the road.
Wellington haven’t won in Australia since October 22, 2023 when Paul Temple’s side beat Western Sydney 3-0. The ‘Nix have played seven games away from home since, losing all seven.
LEAGUE POSITION
- Melbourne Victory: 4th
- Wellington Phoenix: 9th
FORM (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Melbourne Victory: W – D – W – D – W
- Wellington Phoenix: L – L – W – L – L
OPTA STATS
- Melbourne Victory are unbeaten against Wellington Phoenix in the A-League Women (W2 D2); each of their last two meetings have ended in a 2-all draw on the day.
- Wellington Phoenix have lost six of their last seven A-League Women games (W1) including their last two in a row; though, they were kept goalless in only two of those seven games.
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Sunday, 4pm AEDT: Newcastle Jets v Perth Glory
Can any side stop the Sarina Bolden train?
Perth Glory will be the next to try as the Philippines international arrives at Round 18 having scored eight goals in her last eight league fixtures for Newcastle Jets, including a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Brisbane last time out.
Bolden goes head-to-head with fellow Pilipinas stars Quinley Quezada and Jessika Cowart this weekend as Perth travel to face the Jets at Maitland Sportsground.
The Glory are on a horror run of form, going six games without a win and crashing out of the top six. An early Premiership favourite, Glory won four games on the bounce to start the season but have found the going considerably tougher of late, culminating in a deflating 3-1 loss to Central Coast at home in Round 17 that bundled Alex Epakis’ team outside of the finals standings.
Glory have not lost to the Jets since March, 2021 and took all three points from their clash earlier this season in a 1-0 win.
LEAGUE POSITION
- Newcastle Jets: 6th
- Perth Glory: 8th
FORM (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Newcastle Jets: L – L – W – L – W
- Perth Glory: D – L – L – D – L
- Perth Glory have won their last three A-League Women games against Newcastle Jets by a combined score of 9-0 and haven’t lost to the Jets since a 0-4 defeat in March 2021.
- Newcastle Jets have won six of their last 12 A-League Women games (D1 L5) and will be looking to secure back-to-back wins in the competition for the first time since February 2019 after defeating Brisbane Roar FC 3-0 in their most recent fixture.
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Sunday, 4pm AEDT: Central Coast Mariners v Adelaide United
Central Coast Mariners returned to the Liberty A-League for the first time in 14 years for the start of the 2023-24 campaign and, on current form, are heavily-fancied to book a spot in the finals series this season.
The fifth-placed Mariners are thriving under head coach Emily Husband and can take encouragement from the club’s historical record against Adelaide United, their Sunday opponents.
The Mariners and Reds have met four times in Liberty A-League history and the Mariners have won on all four occasions, including a pair of 6-0 wins in 2008 and 2009.
Adelaide currently sit in 11th spot on the Liberty A-League table but recent form does not reflect their standing, with back-to-back wins preceding a gutsy 1-1 draw with former league-leaders Melbourne City in Round 17.
LEAGUE POSITION
- Central Coast Mariners: 5th
- Adelaide United: 11th
FORM (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Central Coast Mariners: L – W – L – D- W
- Adelaide United: L – L – W – W – D
OPTA STATS
- Central Coast Mariners have won all their four A-League Women games against Adelaide United; the Mariners have scored four goals per game across that span.
- Despite conceding a goal in each of their last three games, Adelaide United are unbeaten in that span (W2 D1); the last time they went longer without a loss in the competition was a six-game term from February to December in 2018 (W3 D3).
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