Round 16 of the Isuzu UTE 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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INS & OUTS: Trio of Socceroos in the selection mix incl. Golden Boot leader
Saturday, 7.45pm AEDT: Central Coast Mariners v Sydney FC
Sydney FC travel to Gosford to take on the red-hot Central Coast Mariners on Saturday night, needing just one goal to become the league’s very first team to reach the 800-goal mark.
But will Melbourne Victory beat their Big Blue rivals to the punch?
Sydney FC sit on 799 league goals heading into Round 16, with Victory right behind on 798; Tony Popovic’s side host Macarthur FC in Saturday’s 5.30pm AEDT kick-off at AAMI Park, giving the Victorian outfit the chance to pip Sydney to the post.
The two great rivals have battled for silverware and records throughout the Isuzu UTE A-League’s 19-season history and this weekend will be no different as both sides look to breach the 800-goal mark in their respective fixtures.
Sydney’s Round 16 adversaries have surged into second spot on the table off the back of a 12-game unbeaten league run and will look to keep the streak alive at home. Should league-leaders Wellington Phoenix fail to defeat Western United on Saturday afternoon, Central Coast can climb to the summit of the table with victory over the Sky Blues.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Central Coast: D – W – W – W – D
- Sydney FC: W – L – W – D – D
POSITION
- Central Coast: 2nd
- Sydney FC: 7th
Opta stats
- Sydney FC have won three of their last four A-League Men matches against Central Coast Mariners (L1); although, their only defeat in that span came in their most recent meeting at Industree Group Stadium (2-1, 17 December 2022).
- Central Coast Mariners will be aiming for back-to-back wins against Sydney FC in the A League Men at Industree Group Stadium for the first time since March 2014, following their 2-1 victory when they last met the Sky Blues at the venue.
- Central Coast Mariners are undefeated in their last 12 A-League Men matches (W8 D4); only once have they recorded a longer unbeaten run in the history of the competition (W12 D3 from October 2011 to January 2012).
- Sydney FC are undefeated in their last three A-League Men matches as the away team (W1 D2); the last time the Sky Blues recorded a longer unbeaten run on the road was a four-match span from May to June in 2021 (W3 D1).
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Friday, 7.45pm AEDT: Adelaide United v Perth Glory
Adelaide United teenager Nestory Irankunda turns 18 on Friday, and is set to mark the occasion by becoming the Isuzu UTE A-League’s youngest ever player to clock 50 league appearances when the Reds host Perth Glory at Coopers Stadium.
Former Wellington Phoenix youngster Liberato Cacace is the current record holder, reaching the 50-game milestone at 19 years, five months and 10 days.
READ MORE: Irankunda set to smash A-Leagues record this weekend – this is the list he’ll top by a mile
But whether Irankunda starts or is used as a substitute remains to be seen, with Reds head coach Carl Veart revealing he plans to make wholesale changes to his starting XI after a 4-0 defeat to Central Coast in Round 15.
“We’ll go close to changing half the team,” Veart said in his pre-match address.
“The performance last week just wasn’t at the level that it needed to be, and those players will miss out because of that.”
Adelaide host an 11th-placed Glory outfit enjoying a solid run of form, with Round 15’s 4-2 win over Melbourne City extending their unbeaten run to three games (W2, D1).
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Adelaide United: D – D – W – L – L
- Perth Glory: L – L – W – D – W
POSITION
- Adelaide United: 8th
- Perth Glory: 11th
Opta stats
- Adelaide United are undefeated in their last six A-League Men matches against Perth Glory (W4 D2); the Reds have scored at least two goals in each of their last five games in that span.
- Adelaide United have won their last three A-League Men matches against Perth Glory at Coopers Stadium; a fourth consecutive win in this game would be the Reds’ outright longest winning run against the Glory at the venue in the history of the competition (also W3 from January 2013 to October 2014 and from August 2008 to August 2009).
- Perth Glory will be aiming for back-to-back wins in the A-League Men for the first time since January 2023, following their 4-2 victory against Melbourne City FC last time out.
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Saturday, 3.30pm AEDT: Wellington Phoenix v Western United
Wellington Phoenix can extend their lead at the top of the Isuzu UTE A-League table to five points with a win over last-placed Western United on Saturday afternoon.
Giancarlo Italiano’s side kept Central Coast at arm’s length on Tuesday when the top-two sides battled out a 0-0 draw at Sky Stadium. That result ensured the Mariners remained two points adrift, but the ‘Nix are under pressure to keep results rolling to avoid being overtaken in the race for the Premiers Plate.
Wellington have drawn back-to-back games heading into Saturday’s meeting with Western. John Aloisi has overseen two draws and one defeat in Western’s last three games, but with just two wins in 14 games, the Victorian side is cut adrift from the rest of the league in 12th spot, seven points behind Perth Glory.
Western have gone six games without a win and although the odds are stacked in Wellington’s favour this weekend, the league’s lowest-ranked side is not without good fortune at Sky Stadium. In four prior meetings at the ‘Cake Tin’, Western and Wellington have logged two wins apiece.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Wellington Phoenix: W – D – W – D – D
- Western United: L – L – D – L – D
POSITION
- Wellington Phoenix: 1st
- Western United: 12th
Opta stats
- Wellington Phoenix have won eight of their last 11 A-League Men matches against Western United FC (D1 L2), including each of their last two; the Phoenix have kept a clean sheet in each of their last two meetings in that span.
- This will be the fifth A-League Men match between Wellington Phoenix and Western United FC at Sky Stadium; each team has logged two wins apiece from their four meetings at the venue.
- Wellington Phoenix are undefeated in their last six A-League Men matches (W2 D4); the Phoenix have kept a clean sheet across the last four first halves in that span – the last time they logged a longer such run was a six-match span from January to February in 2022.
- Western United FC have won only one of their last 13 A-League Men matches (D2 L10) – a 2-1 victory against Brisbane Roar FC (15 December 2023); they are winless in their six games since then (D2 L4).
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Saturday, 5.30pm AEDT: Melbourne Victory v Macarthur FC
Melbourne Victory will welcome back Golden Boot leader Bruno Fornaroli for this weekend’s clash with Macarthur FC, after the Socceroo’s AFC Asian Cup campaign came to an end in the quarter-finals last Friday night.
Fornaroli’s 13 goals, scored in his first 10 appearances of the season, were enough to see the veteran striker hold his lead in the Golden Boot race through the past five rounds – but Newcastle spearhead Apostolos Stamatelopoulos has closed the gap to two in recent weeks.
Victory have relinquished a spot inside the top two to Central Coast on a run of four consecutive 1-1 draws, and will look to break that streak of stalemates playing host to a Macarthur outfit sitting just two points behind in fourth on the Isuzu UTE A-League table.
The Bulls are on a six-game unbeaten run heading into Round 16.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Melbourne Victory: W – D – D – D – D
- Macarthur FC: D – D – W – D – W
POSITION
- Melbourne Victory: 3rd
- Macarthur FC: 4th
Opta stats
- Melbourne Victory are undefeated in their last five A-League Men matches against Macarthur FC (W4 D1); their last defeat against the Bulls in the competition was a 3-1 loss in May 2021.
- This will be the fourth A-League Men match between Melbourne Victory and Macarthur FC at AAMI Park; the Victory have won each of their last two meetings, after losing their inaugural fixture at the venue.
- Melbourne Victory are undefeated in the 2023-24 A-League Men season (W6 D9); it’s the second longest unbeaten run to start a single season in the history of the competition (Sydney FC – W14 D5 in 2016-17).
- Macarthur FC are undefeated in their last six A-League Men matches (W2 D4); a seventh consecutive unbeaten game in this match would equal their longest undefeated streak in the history of the competition (W4 D3 from October to December in 2023).
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Saturday, 6.00pm AEDT: Brisbane Roar v Melbourne City
Brisbane Roar host Melbourne City at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night looking to show a response following an 8-1 defeat at the hands of the reigning Premiers in late December.
The last time City travelled to Suncorp Stadium to face the Roar was in 2022 when they recorded a 2-0 win on the road – but if the hosts are looking for a positive omen, they’ll find one in the fact that City have never defeated them away from home twice in a row in the history of the competition.
Brisbane welcome former City midfielder Florin Berenguer back into their squad for Saturday night’s encounter; the Frenchman hasn’t played since mid-January and bolsters interim head coach Ruben Zadkovich’s squad.
The Roar added Zadkovich’s former Perth Glory assistant Chris Coyne to the coaching staff this week; Coyne will be on the sideline with Zadkovich on Saturday to take on City.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Brisbane Roar: W – L – L – L – D
- Melbourne City: W – L – L – W – L
POSITION
- Brisbane Roar: 9th
- Melbourne City: 6th
Opta stats
- Melbourne City have lost only one of their last 11 A-League Men matches against Brisbane Roar (W8 D2) – a 3-0 defeat in May 2021; they are undefeated in their six meetings since then (W5 D1).
- Melbourne City will be aiming for back-to-back wins in the A-League Men against Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium for the first time in the history of the competition, following their 2-0 victory in their last meeting at the venue (14 October 2022).
- Brisbane Roar have won only one of their last nine A-League Men matches (D1 L7) – a 3-2 win against Newcastle Jets (14 January 2024); the Roar have conceded 2.9 goals per game across that span.
- Melbourne City have lost each of their last three A-League Men matches away from AAMI Park; the last time they recorded a longer losing run away from their home venue was a four-match span from March to November in 2019.
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Sunday, 5.00pm AEDT: Western Sydney v Newcastle Jets
After two-and-a-half months sidelined by a foot fracture, Western Sydney Wanderers star Brandon Borrello is in line to make his long-awaited return when his side host Newcastle Jets at CommBank Stadium on Saturday evening.
Borrello last featured for the Wanderers in late November when he suffered the injury in the first Sydney Derby of the season. He’s joined in reinforcing the Wanderers squad by midweek signing Sonny Kittel – a German youth international with extensive experience in the Bundesliga.
SONNY KITTEL: Meet the A-Leagues’ newest playmaker who idolises De Bruyne & starred with Leckie in Germany
The Jets begin Round 16 just four points off the top six and have picked up four points from a possible nine in their last three outings. Stanton will hope Apostolos Stamatelopoulos’ scoring form will continue against the Wanderers; the 24-year-old has scored four goals in his last five games as he ramps up the pressure on Golden Boot leader Bruno Fornaroli.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Western Sydney: L – W – L – W – L
- Newcastle Jets: L – L – W – L – D
POSITION
- Western Sydney: 5th
- Newcastle Jets: 10th
Opta stats
- Western Sydney Wanderers have lost only one of their last nine A-League Men matches against Newcastle Jets (W3 D5) – a 1-0 loss in February 2022; the Wanderers are undefeated in their four meetings since then (W2 D2), despite trailing at halftime on the day in each of the last two games in that span.
- Newcastle Jets are winless in their last four A-League Men matches away from McDonald Jones Stadium (D1 L3); they have conceded at least three goals in three of the four games in that span.
- Western Sydney Wanderers are undefeated in their last five A-League Men matches against Newcastle Jets as the home team (W2 D3); it’s the Wanderers’ longest unbeaten run in such fixtures in the history of the competition.
- Western Sydney Wanderers will be looking to avoid back-to-back defeats in the A-League Men at CommBank Stadium for the first time since February 2022, following their 2-1 loss against Perth Glory in their last match at the venue (20 January 2024).
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