Round 20 of the Isuzu UTE A-League season kicks off this Friday night! Ahead of the action, aleagues.com.au previews all six of the contests.
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INS AND OUTS: Macarthur get big injury boost, two Socceroos return
Saturday, 8.15pm AEDT: Adelaide United v Melbourne Victory
Adelaide United never need any further incentive to down their Original Rivals. But, this weekend presents one last chance for Carl Veart’s side to avoid an equal-club record winless run at home – and that chance comes against Melbourne Victory at Coopers Stadium.
Adelaide have dropped to 10th spot on the table and their recent record at home has been a key contributor to the slump; the Reds have won just one of their last eight league fixtures at Coopers Stadium (D3, L4, W1) and are winless in five games at the venue.
Should Victory take a point or more from Adelaide on Saturday night that streak will extend to six games – an equal record for the hosts in Isuzu UTE A-League history (x2 – D2 L4 from January to March in 2012 and D3 L3 from November 2009 to January 2010).
Victory have lost two games in succession heading into Round 20 and their spot in the top four is at risk should the defeats continue to mount. Tony Popovic’s side were level on points with league leaders Wellington Phoenix at the turn of the year but find themselves nine points off the pace three months later.
LEAGUE POSITION
- Adelaide United: 10th
- Melbourne Victory: 4th
FORM (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Adelaide United: L – D – L – L – L
- Melbourne Victory: L – D – W – L – L
OPTA STATS
- Melbourne Victory will be aiming for back-to-back wins against Adelaide United in the A-League Men for the first time since December 2018 following their 2-0 win when they last met earlier this season (30 December 2023).
- Adelaide United have won only one of their last four A-League Men matches against Melbourne Victory in South Australia (D1 L2) – a 3-0 win in November 2022; the Reds had been undefeated in their six meetings in their home state prior to that span (W5 D1).
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Friday, 7.45pm AEDT: Western Sydney v Western United
After a deflating Sydney Derby defeat, the Wanderers head into Round 20 in need of a response to keep their finals pursuit alive – and recent history suggests there is no better opponent for Marko Rudan’s Western Sydney to be facing than Western United.
The Wanderers have enjoyed bragging rights over John Aloisi’s United of late, winning the past three encounters between the two clubs without conceding a goal. Western Sydney will hope to carry on their recent dominance in this fixture to fend off Brisbane Roar who, after Round 19, closed the gap between the two sides to just three points on the table.
Western United are 12th but have improved their form of late, winning two and drawing one of their last four league fixtures. Lachie Wales will become the third player to reach 100 league appearances for the club as Western prepare for the first week of young striker Noah Botic’s extended absence with a navicular stress fracture.
LEAGUE POSITION
- Western Sydney: 6th
- Western United: 12th
FORM (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Western Sydney: L – D – L – W – L
- Western United: L – W – L – D – W
OPTA STATS
- Western Sydney Wanderers have won their last three A-League Men matches against Western United FC, keeping a clean sheet in each of those three wins; the Wanderers had won only two of all their eight meetings in the competition prior to that span (D1 L5).
- Western Sydney Wanderers are yet to lose back-to-back games this A-League Men season; however, they’ve won only one of their last five games in the competition (D1 L3) and have conceded 3+ goals in a game on three occasions in that term.
- Western United are winless in their last 10 A-League Men matches outside Victoria (D3 L7); an 11th consecutive game without a win outside their home state in this match would be their outright longest winless run in such fixtures in the history of the competition (also 10 – D3 L7 from April 2021 to February 2022).
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Saturday, 7.00pm AEDT: Melbourne City v Wellington Phoenix
It’s the reigning premiers against the heir apparent at AAMI Park, as league-leaders Wellington Phoenix look to strengthen their grip on top spot against the out-of-form Melbourne City on Saturday night.
City are winless in five games and have won just one in eight on a run of form that has seen Aurelio Vidmar’s side drop out of the top six and into eighth place on the A-League Men table.
And the challenges don’t come any easier as the high-flying Phoenix come to town. Giancarlo Italiano’s side beat City 1-0 earlier in the season and will be confident of their chances of extending their current unbeaten run to seven games – but City have hopes of keeping their own impressive streak alive, having not tasted defeat in any of their last eight league fixtures at AAMI Park.
LEAGUE POSITION
- Melbourne City: 8th
- Wellington Phoenix: 1st
FORM (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Melbourne City: L – L – D – D – L
- Wellington Phoenix: D – W – W – D – W
OPTA STATS
- Wellington Phoenix defeated Melbourne City 1-0 when they last met in the A-League Men earlier this season (25 November 2023), snapping a seven-match winless run against them (D2 L5); the Phoenix will be aiming for consecutive wins against City for only the third time in the history of the competition (W3 – December 2012 to December 2013 and W2 – January to April in 2019).
- Melbourne City are undefeated in their last eight A-League Men matches at AAMI Park (W4 D4) and have kept a clean sheet in each of their last two games in that span (W1 D1); a third consecutive clean sheet at the venue in this match would equal their longest such run in the history of the competition (x4 – November 2022 to January 2023, March to April in 2018, March to April in 2015 and February 2012).
- Wellington Phoenix are undefeated in their last six A-League Men matches in Australia (W3 D3); the last time the Phoenix recorded a longer unbeaten run in the country was a seven match span from January to March in 2022 (W5 D2).
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Saturday, 9.45pm AEDT: Perth Glory v Newcastle Jets
After a hiccup against bottom-placed Western United, can Perth Glory quickly get their surge toward the top six back on track?
Glory’s season was practically dead and buried two months ago before a six-game unbeaten run that featured three wins and three draws; Alen Stajcic’s side slowly but surely climbed up the table but their pursuit of a spot in the finals places hit a snag in Round 19 in the form of a 1-0 loss to Western United.
Perth sit eight points outside the top six and will be eager to bounce back on Saturday when hosting Newcastle Jets at HBF Park. The Jets haven’t won a game since January 23 and are winless in their last six games away from home, conceding nearly three goals per game on average across that stretch.
LEAGUE POSITION
- Perth Glory: 9th
- Newcastle Jets: 11th
FORM (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Perth Glory: W – D – W – D – L
- Newcastle Jets: D – D – L – D – L
OPTA STATS
- Seven of the last nine A-League Men matches between Perth Glory and Newcastle Jets have ended in a draw (Glory W1, Jets W1), including each of the last four by a 2-2 score on the day; a fifth consecutive draw in this match would equal the longest run of drawn games between two teams in the history of the competition (Brisbane Roar v Central Coast Mariners – D5 from October 2005 to October 2006).
- Perth Glory are undefeated in their last three A-League Men matches at HBF Park (W2 D1) and kept a clean sheet in their last game there (0-0 v Wellington Phoenix – 24 February 2024).
- No team has trailed at half-time more times than the Perth Glory this A-League Men season (9); although, they are also the only team to have won multiple games after trailing at the break on the day (2).
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Sunday, 5pm AEDT: Sydney FC v Brisbane Roar
Sunday’s clash between Sydney FC and Brisbane Roar pits one side eager to break into the top four against another pushing hard to break into the top six.
The Sky Blues have the equal-best form line of any team in the league across the past five games, picking up 11 points from a possible 15. Only league-leaders Wellington have accrued the same amount of points across the five-game stretch. Round 19’s 4-1 rout over Western Sydney was a statement result from the Sky Blues who now sit just one point behind fourth-placed Melbourne Victory.
Brisbane benefited from Sydney’s thumping win last weekend, defeating Victory to draw within a win of the Wanderers, and the top six. The Sky Blues welcome Luke Brattan back into the fold after a one-week suspension to bolster their midfield against the Roar.
LEAGUE POSITION
- Sydney FC: 5th
- Brisbane Roar: 7th
FORM (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Sydney FC: D – W – W – D – W
- Brisbane Roar: D – W – L – D – W
OPTA STATS
- Sydney FC have won two of their last three A-League Men matches against Brisbane Roar (L1), including a 2-1 victory when they last met earlier this year (6 January 2024); the Sky Blues will be aiming for back-to-back wins against the Roar for the first time since January 2020.
- Sydney FC are undefeated in their last seven games in the A-League Men (W4 D3); the last time they went longer without defeat in the competition was a 13-game stretch from November 2019 to February 2020 (W12 D1).
- Brisbane Roar have won only one of their last six A-League Men matches outside Queensland (L5) – although, that one victory did come in their most recent game at Allianz Stadium (3-2 v Newcastle Jets – 14 January 2024).
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Sunday, 5pm AEDT: Macarthur FC v Central Coast Mariners
Round 20 in the Isuzu UTE A-League comes to a close on Sunday afternoon with the blockbuster clash of the weekend between second-placed Central Coast and Macarthur FC in third.
The Bulls host the Mariners in Campbelltown with a massive three points on the line as the Mariners look to keep the pace with Wellington at the top of the table and Macarthur aim to drag themselves into the Premiership hunt.
Mile Sterjovski’s Bulls sit five points behind the Mariners on the table heading into Round 20.
This will be the first meeting between these two sides since February’s epic AFC Cup Zonal Final at the same venue. That game finished 1-1 after 90 minutes and 3-2 to the Mariners favour after 30 minutes of extra time, with Ronald Barcellos bagging a 120th-minute winner in the most dramatic of circumstances.
The result and subsequent tension after the full-time whistle has helped to foster a rivalry between the two New South Wales clubs; get set for the latest instalment on Sunday night as the stakes are raised in Campbelltown.
LEAGUE POSITION
- Macarthur FC: 3rd
- Central Coast Mariners: 2nd
FORM (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Macarthur FC: W – W – L – D – W
- Central Coast Mariners: D – L – W – W – W
OPTA STATS
- Macarthur FC will be aiming for back-to-back wins against Central Coast Mariners in the A-League Men for only the second time in the history of the competition (December 2021), following the Bulls’ 2-1 victory when they last met earlier this season (29 October 2023).
- Macarthur FC have won two of their last three games in the A-League Men at Campbelltown Stadium, including a 2-0 defeat of Melbourne City FC in their last game; though, they’ve not won back-to-back games at the venue since 8 January 2023.
- Central Coast Mariners have won their last three A-League Men games on the bounce, each by a score of 1-0 on the day; in fact, they’ve won four games by a score of 1-0 this season after winning only once by that scoreline across the two previous seasons.
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