The final round of the Liberty A-League season is upon us! With the race to secure both the Premier’s Plate and finals football going down to the wire, aleagues.com.au previews all six of the crucial contests…
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Thursday, 7:00pm (AEDT): Central Coast Mariners v Western United
Fourth hosts third in this mouth-watering clash at Industree Group Stadium, where both sides are out to guarantee themselves a top-four finish, and with it, secure a home Elimination Final.
Rocked by the news of Hannah Keane’s long-term injury, Western are quite literally hobbling towards the finish line in the Liberty A-League having already lost Adriana Taranto (ACL) for the remainder of the season, while Chloe Logarzo (hip) is sidelined.
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Add to that the fact Kat Smith’s side are now on a three-game losing run heading in to the most important phase of the regular season and Thursday night’s clash in Gosford now looks a lot more daunting.
As for the home side, the Mariners saw their Premiership hopes dashed in the penultimate round of the season with a 3-0 away loss to Melbourne City.
However, Emily Husband and her staff know that should they guide their side to a win over Western United then they will lock up third spot on the ladder.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Central Coast Mariners: W – W – W – W – L
- Western United: W – W – L – L – L
POSITION
- Central Coast Mariners: 4th
- Western United: 3rd
OPTA STATS
- Central Coast Mariners have only lost one of their last five A-League Women matches at Industree Group Stadium (W2 D2) and have won their last two games at the venue.
- Tyla-Jay Vlajnic (Western United FC) has created five scoring chances in two of her last five A-League Women games after never previously creating more than three in a single game; she’s logged three assists in those last five games including two against Brisbane Roar FC last time out.
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Friday, 5:00pm (AEDT): Adelaide United v Newcastle Jets
Newcastle Jets arrive at Coopers Stadium on Good Friday knowing it’s win or bust for their finals chances… and even then it might not be good enough.
In order to secure that all-important finals position, Ryan Campbell’s Jets need to beat Adelaide United and hope that Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers both fail to pick up a point in their games against Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix respectively.
However, their epic Round 21 win over Victory came at a cost as in-form goalkeeper Isobel Nino was sent off for violent conduct after clashing with striker Emily Gielnik and she will now miss the final game of the season plus an Elimination Final should Newcastle qualify for the Finals Series.
As for Adelaide, they head into the final round of the season sat dead last on the ladder and now in the possession of this season’s wooden spoon having lost their last five matches and sat six points behind Canberra United.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Adelaide United: L – L – L – L – L
- Newcastle Jets: W – D – L – W – W
POSITION
- Adelaide United: 12th
- Newcastle Jets: 7th
OPTA STATS
- Adelaide United have lost their last five straight A-League Women matches; the last time they had a longer losing streak was a six match run from November to December in 2019.
- Newcastle Jets are unbeaten in their last three A-League Women games against Adelaide United (W2 D1) after losing three in a row against them prior to that term; the teams held out for a 2-all draw in their last meeting at Coopers Stadium.
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Saturday, 2:00pm (AEDT): Wellington Phoenix v Western Sydney Wanderers
Western Sydney Wanderers head into Saturday’s clash with Wellington Phoenix at Porirua Park knowing exactly what they need to do in order to secure their spot in this year’s finals.
A win or a draw in New Zealand will guarantee them a spot in the Finals Series but should they suffer defeat against Wellington, then Robbie Hooker’s side will be hoping other results go their way.
However, given the fact the Wanderers play after the Jets in the final round of the season then they will qualify for the finals automatically if Newcastle fail to beat Adelaide on Friday evening.
Western Sydney sit fifth on the ladder, level on points (33) with Melbourne Victory however the Wanderers are in a stronger position given they’ve won 10 games compared to that of the nine Victory have amassed.
As for Wellington, Paul Temple’s Phoenix saw their finals hopes ended by virtue of the Wanderers’ 3-1 win over Western United in Round 21 however the ‘Nix can still finish as high as eighth on the ladder.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Wellington Phoenix: L – W – L – W – L
- Western Sydney Wanderers: L – D – W – W – W
POSITION
- Wellington Phoenix: 9th
- Western Sydney Wanderers: 5th
OPTA STATS
- Mariana Speckmaier (Wellington Phoenix) has scored seven goals across her last eight A-League Women games and scored one goal in her only previous game against Western Sydney Wanderers FC.
- Sophie Harding (Western Sydney Wanderers FC) has been directly involved in five goals in her last three matches (3 goals, 2 assists); she has scored two goals in five matches against Wellington Phoenix.
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Saturday, 4:00pm (AEDT): Brisbane Roar v Canberra United
Brisbane Roar host Canberra at Perry Park on Saturday afternoon with little to play for aside from pride given their finals hopes were ended in Round 20.
Furthermore, Brisbane can only finish as high as eighth on the ladder but there will be plenty of players playing for their futures when it comes to potential contract renewals.
As for Canberra, Wednesday night’s stunning upset win over Sydney FC not only ensured the race for the Premier’s Plate will go down to the wire but it also helped Njegosh Popovich’s side avoid this season’s wooden spoon.
Michelle Heyman’s 16th goal of the season not only fired Canberra to that 1-0 win but almost certainly now guarantees the Matildas striker the Golden Boot for this season; her first since the 2011-12 season.
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Furthermore, Heyman now has the outright record for goal contributions (22) in a single season and should she score in the final round contest with Brisbane then she will also equal Sam Kerr’s record of goals in season (17) – set in 2018-19.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Brisbane Roar: L – W – L – W – W
- Canberra United: D – L – L – W – W
POSITION
- Brisbane Roar: 8th
- Canberra United: 11th
OPTA STATS
- Brisbane Roar FC have only lost one of their last five A-League Women matches at Perry Park (W3 D1), including two 2-0 wins against Perth Glory and Melbourne City FC in their last two matches at the venue.
- Canberra United have scored six goals from outside the box this A-League Women season, the second most of any team despite their 22 shots on target from outside the box being the fewest of any team; Vesna Milivojevic has scored a joint league high three goals from outside the box this season.
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Sunday, 4:00pm (AEDT): Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory
Sunday’s Big Blue is now shaping as one of the biggest ever regular-season meetings between these two sides where a result for either side is likely to have huge ramifications for the other’s season.
A win for Sydney FC will guarantee them a record fourth-straight Premier’s Plate, a feat the Sky Blues were hoping to wrap up on Wednesday night but suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Canberra United.
Ante Juric’s team currently sit top of the ladder on 39 points, one clear of second-placed Melbourne City, and will secure silverware should they match City’s result over Perth, who kick off later on Sunday evening.
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Melbourne Victory meanwhile arrive in Sydney with plenty to fight for themselves after they suffered an agonising 3-2 defeat to Newcastle in the penultimate round of the season.
That loss, coupled with Newcastle’s win, leaves Victory teetering on the edge of finals football and the Jets breathing down their necks, but the good news is they only need a point to book their spot in the post-season Finals Series.
Not that they need any added motivation but should they secure the draw or even the win they so desperately desire then they may even prevent their traditional rivals from securing the Premier’s Plate in the process.
Furthermore, Victory are sure to be watching Friday night’s clash between Adelaide and Newcastle with a keen eye given they’ll secure a spot in the finals without kicking a ball should the Jets fail to beat the Reds.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Sydney FC: W – W – W – W – L
- Melbourne Victory: W – W – W – D – L
POSITION
- Sydney FC: 1st
- Melbourne Victory: 6th
OPTA STATS
- Mackenzie Hawkesby (Sydney FC) has created 4.6 chances per game this A-League Women season, the most of any player, and has created five or more scoring chances in each of her last three games in the competition.
- Melbourne Victory have scored 10 goals from corners in the 2023/24 A-League Women season, the most of any team, while only Newcastle Jets (1) have conceded fewer goals from corners this campaign than Sydney FC (2).
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Sunday, 6:00pm (AEDT): Perth Glory v Melbourne City
Melbourne City will arrive in Western Australia on Sunday already knowing whether or not they’ve secured a top-two finish in the Liberty A-League and come kick off time they’ll also know if they can still win the Premier’s Plate.
Should Western United fail to beat Central Coast Mariners on Thursday night, then City will be guaranteed to finish in the top two thus sending them directly through to the Semi-Finals and avoiding an Elimination Final.
Furthermore, should Sydney FC fail to beat Melbourne Victory on Sunday afternoon at Leichhardt Oval then City will take to the field against Perth Glory in the final game of the regular season knowing a win will see them crowned Premiers for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
Glory’s finals hopes were dashed some time ago and they’re currently without a win in the competition this calendar year having lost four of their last five matches.
However City will still be on their guard against a Glory side who rose to the occasion back in Round 7, defeating City 3-1 on their own turf thanks to hat-trick from striker Millie Farrow.
ORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Perth Glory: L – D – L – L – L
- Melbourne City: D – L – W – D – W
POSITION
- Perth Glory: 10th
- Melbourne City: 2nd
OPTA STATS
- Perth Glory have won their last two A-League Women matches against Melbourne City FC, snapping a five- game losing streak prior; though, they have never kept a clean sheet against Melbourne City in the history of the competition.
- Melbourne City FC have only lost one of their last six A-League Women matches (W2 D3), keeping a clean sheet in four of those matches and conceding three goals overall in that span.
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