Round 16 of the Isuzu UTE A-League season is upon us! Ahead of the action getting underway, aleagues.com.au previews all five of the contests.
Get set for Round 16 below, with all the team news, broadcast information and ticket links.
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Friday, 7.00pm AEDT: Western Sydney Wanderers v Newcastle Jets
Western Sydney’s surge up the table has hit a snag of late, with back-to-back defeats leaving Robbie Hooker’s side in danger of being overtaken by their Friday-night opponents.
Newcastle Jets and the Wanderers are level on 20 points ahead of Round 16; the Jets broke a two-game losing run of their own last time out, with Sarina Bolden at the heart of a 3-2 win over Wellington Phoenix.
The Philippines international comes up against her former side this weekend, having played for the Wanderers in her first Liberty A-League campaign in 2022-23.
The Jets are without Gema Simon and Melina Ayres who miss out due to concussion.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Western Sydney: W – W – W – L – L
- Newcastle Jets: D – W – L – L – W
POSITION
- Western Sydney: 7th
- Newcastle Jets: 8th
Opta stats
- Western Sydney Wanderers have lost only two of their last eight A-League Women matches against Newcastle Jets (W3 D3); they recorded a 1-1 draw when they last met earlier this season (5 November 2023).
- Newcastle Jets will be looking to avoid back-to-back defeats as the away team in the A-League Women for the first time since November 2023, following their 2-1 loss against Sydney FC in their last away fixture (21 January 2024).
- Western Sydney Wanderers have lost each of their last two A-League Women matches, after losing only one of their eight games in the competition prior to that span (W6 D1).
Saturday, 5.00pm AEDT: Melbourne City v Sydney FC
Melbourne City top the Liberty A-League table, but consecutive losses have blown the Premiership race wide open – and Sydney FC are one of two teams within three points of the league-leaders heading into Round 16.
The Sky Blues travel to Melbourne to take on City in the headline fixture of the weekend; two wins and one draw in their last three games have helped Ante Juric’s side surge back into Premiership contention.
Two goals to Cortnee Vine helped Sydney down Perth Glory in Round 15 and as the Matildas star has roared into form, so have the Sky Blues. In their last two games, City have conceded three goals in defeats to both Western United and Canberra and will need to be at their defensive best when Sydney come to town.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Melbourne City: W – L – W – L – L
- Sydney FC: W – L – W – D – W
POSITION
- Melbourne City: 1st
- Sydney FC: 3rd
Opta stats
- Melbourne City will be aiming for back-to-back wins against Sydney FC in the A-League Women for the first time since March 2020, following their 3-2 victory when they last met the Sky Blues earlier this season (26 November 2023).
- Sydney FC have lost only one of their last 11 A-League Women matches (W5 D5) – a 2-1 defeat against Central Coast Mariners (17 January 2024); the Sky Blues have not led at halftime on the day in any of their 11 games in that span.
- Melbourne City have lost three of their last four A-League Women matches (W1), including each of their last two; the last time they recorded a longer losing run in the competition was a five-match span from January to March in 2021.
Saturday, 5.00pm AEDT: Central Coast v Melbourne Victory
Central Coast host Melbourne Victory on Saturday evening with their eyes firmly set on a spot in the top four.
And that’s exactly where the Mariners will sit should they defeat fourth-placed Victory at Industree Group Stadium – but to do so, Emily Husband’s side will need to quell the danger posed by in-form Victory star Rachel Lowe.
Lowe has scored in five consecutive games leading into Round 16; her second-half penalty last weekend helped Victory past Brisbane Roar and extend her side’s unbeaten run to four games.
The Mariners meantime have lost two of their last three games after losing just one of their first six games prior.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Central Coast: W – W – L – W – L
- Melbourne Victory: L – D – W – D – W
POSITION
- Central Coast: 6th
- Melbourne Victory: 4th
Opta stats
- Melbourne Victory will be aiming for back-to-back wins against Central Coast Mariners in the A-League Women for the first time in the history of the competition, following their 2-1 win when they last met earlier this season (26 November 2023).
- Central Coast Mariners have lost two of their last three A-League Women matches (W1), after losing one of their six games in the competition prior to that span (W3 D2).
- Melbourne Victory (348) are two away from becoming the fourth team to score 350 goals in A-League Women history (Sydney FC, Canberra United, Brisbane Roar FC); they’ve scored one goal per game against the Central Coast Mariners, their second lowest average against any team in the history of the competition (0.7 v Western United FC).
Saturday, 10.30pm AEDT: Perth Glory v Canberra United
Perth Glory are in desperate need of three points as they welcome Canberra United to Macedonia Park in the late Saturday kick-off.
Glory began the season in formidable form but have since struggled to keep the momentum going. After four-consecutive wins to start the season Glory have won just two of 10 games, sliding from the top of the table down to fifth heading into Round 15.
All is not lost for Perth, and with seven games left of the regular season Epakis will hope his side can regain their spark against 12th-placed Canberra.
The visitors travel to Perth with Golden Boot leader Michelle Heyman buoyed by her inclusion in the Matildas squad for upcoming Olympic Qualifiers against Uzbekistan; Heyman has spent six years out of the Matildas squad and her return is testament to a sensational form in the Liberty A-League.
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FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Perth Glory: L – D – D – L – L
- Canberra United: D – W – L – L – W
POSITION
- Perth Glory: 5th
- Canberra United: 12th
Opta stats
- Perth Glory have lost only one of their last eight A-League Women matches against Canberra United (W2 D5) and have won each of their last two meetings; it’s the first time they’ve logged consecutive wins against them in the history of the competition.
- Canberra United will be aiming for back-to-back wins in the A-League Women for the first time since March 2023, following their 3-1 victory against Melbourne City FC last time out.
- Perth Glory have won only one of their last eight A-League Women matches (D3 L4) and have lost each of their last two; the last time they recorded a longer losing run in the competition was a nine-match span from February to March in 2021.
Sunday, 5.00pm AEDT: Western United v Brisbane Roar
Western United are flying high on a three-game winning streak, and on Sunday afternoon host Brisbane Roar with potential to draw level with both Sydney FC and Melbourne City at the top of the Liberty A-League table.
Should the Sky Blues beat City on Saturday, both sides will end the round on 29 points – and Western would follow suit with a win over the Roar, to set up an enthralling three-way battle for the Premiers Plate across the last six rounds of the regular season.
Western beat Brisbane 1-0 in the first meeting between the two sides this season, and are favourites to repeat the feat against the 10th-placed Roar at home. This matchup sees Matildas stars Chloe Logarzo and Tameka Yallop go head-to-head, after both players were included in the international squad set to take on Uzbekistan in late February.
Logarzo’s inclusion is just reward for the Western star, who has enjoyed a stellar season in green and black to earn her way back into the international fold after a 2023 hampered by injuries.
FORM LINE (LAST FIVE GAMES)
- Western United: W – L – W – W – W
- Brisbane Roar: W – L – D – W – L
POSITION
- Western United: 2nd
- Brisbane Roar: 10th
Opta stats
- This will be the fourth A-League Women match between Western United FC and Brisbane Roar; Western United have won two of their three meetings (L1) – the winning team on the day has kept a clean sheet in each of those three games.
- Brisbane Roar will be aiming for back-to-back wins outside Queensland in the A-League Women for the first time since March 2022, following their 3-1 victory against Western Sydney Wanderers in their last such fixture (27 January 2024).
- Western United have won their last three A-League Women matches; the last and only time they recorded a longer winning run was their first seven games in the competition (November 2022 to January 2023).
