The Liberty A-League’s premiers plate could be decided on Tuesday.
Melbourne City are third with a game in hand on leaders Sydney FC and face a must-win clash with visiting Newcastle Jets.
The postponed game between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix will also take place at Wanderers Park.
Read on for individual match previews of the three A-Leagues fixtures:
- Melbourne City v Newcastle Jets
Liberty A-League, ABD Stadium. Kick-off 7.05pm AEDT
- Western Sydney Wanderers v Wellington Phoenix
Liberty A-League, Wanderers Park. Kick-off 6.35pm AEDT
Kiwi boost for City’s ALW premiership tilt
Melbourne City’s A-League Women’s Premiers Plate fate might be out of their hands, but New Zealand internationals Rebekah Stott and Hannah Wilkinson’s returns are a timely boost for head coach Rado Vidosic.
The pair have been absent for the Football Ferns’ participation in the She Believes Cup in the United States, leaving City without their leading scorer in Wilkinson and a key midfielder in Stott.
Last Thursday’s surprise 1-0 loss to Brisbane Roar has left City third in the standings with two matches to play in the regular season.
It means Vidosic’s team must beat Newcastle Jets at ABD Stadium on Tuesday night to have any hope of winning the premiership with league leaders Sydney FC five points clear of City after their win over Perth Glory on the weekend.
Wilkinson and Stott arrived in Australia on Saturday and Vidosic said both were in contention to face the Jets depending on their recovery from the journey back from the United States.
“We gave them yesterday off and then we’ll just see how they feel today,” Vidosic said. “They’re both happy. They played games for the national team, they were in the national team environment.
“Now just how much will they recover, mainly from fatigue? I don’t think they’ve got any other problems than that.”
While snatching top spot appears unlikely, Vidosic said his team will be doing all it can to win the premiership by defeating the Jets and then Western Sydney on Saturday.
They would then need second-placed Adelaide United to defeat Sydney on Sunday to win the Premiers Plate.
“We are not going to experiment. We still want to finish as high as we can,” Vidosic said. “We want to finish at least second.
“The way that Adelaide played against Melbourne Victory, I think anything is possible.
“They are in top form. So it won’t be as easy a game for Sydney as maybe some people may think.
“We just need to make sure we do our job and that we are with a shout in that last game of the season on Sunday.”
Melbourne City v Newcastle Jets
Liberty A-League
Tuesday, March 1 2022
ABD STADIUM
Kick-off: 7.05pm AEDT
MATCH CENTRE | HOW TO WATCH
Rescheduled Wanderers-Nix fixture takes place
The postponed fixture between Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix is on, though a late change has seen the match moved from CommBank Stadium to Wanderers Park.
Originally postponed due to the severe weather being experienced throughout NSW and Queensland, the ‘Nix will travel to face the Wanderers two days later than anticipated in Wanderland on Tuesday night.
It is a battle of the cellar-dwellers, with the Wanderers second from bottom after 12 games, three points better off than bottom-placed Wellington.
Western Sydney Wanderers v Wellington Phoenix
Liberty A-League
Tuesday, March 1 2022
WANDERERS PARK
Kick-off: 6.35pm AEDT
MATCH CENTRE | HOW TO WATCH
