It’s Liberty A-League Grand Final week, as Sydney FC prepare to host Melbourne Victory in the title decider for the second year running.
In and around the A-League Women Grand Final come six Isuzu UTE A-League fixtures, starting with Newcastle Jets and Sydney FC facing off on Friday night.
READ: ALW GRAND FINAL PREVIEW – ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
It’s the Distance Derby on Saturday with Wellington Phoenix hosting Perth Glory; kicking off simultaneously is a clash between Brisbane Roar and Western United. Melbourne City travel to face Macarthur FC in the aftermath while Central Coast Mariners take on Adelaide United.
Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers round out the Isuzu UTE A-League action on Sunday evening.
ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE
NEWCASTLE JETS v SYDNEY FC
Two in-form sides collide in Newcastle as the Jets welcome the Sky Blues to McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday night.
Three consecutive wins and clean sheets in all competitions have Sydney FC back in form ahead of this weekend’s set of fixtures – but the Sky Blues travel to face the Jets after a rampant display against Wellington last time out, with four second-half goals punctuating an impressive display.
TIP: An entertaining draw.
Newcastle Jets v Sydney FC
McDonald Jones Stadium
Kick-off: 7.45pm AEDT
TV: P+
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WELLINGTON PHOENIX v PERTH GLORY
It’s game one in charge of Perth Glory for new interim head coach Ruben Zadkovich after the sacking of Richard Garcia on Monday morning.
Zadkovich takes the reins with Perth sitting at the foot of the A-League Men table. The Glory failed to win in four consecutive home games, culminating in a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Brisbane Roar last weekend which tipped the scales in favour of Garcia’s departure.
Saturday afternoon presents Perth the chance to buck the trend against a Phoenix outfit bruised by a 4-0 thumping at the hands of Newcastle.
Ufuk Talay’s side struggled in the absence of a number of key players on New Zealand international duty: Oliver Sail, Ben Old, Clayton Lewis, and Ben Waine. But the quartet return to be in the mix to face Perth, with Tim Payne headed the other way for the remainder of New Zealand’s World Cup qualifiers in Qatar.
TIP: Wellington back to winning ways.
Wellington Phoenix v Perth Glory
Leichhardt Oval
Kick-off: 5.05pm AEDT
TV: P+
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BRISBANE ROAR v WESTERN UNITED
Western United will look to draw level on points with leaders Melbourne City at the top of the table with a win over Brisbane on Saturday afternoon. City play Macarthur less than two hours after kick-off in Queensland.
Western goalkeeper Jamie Young and striker Dylan Wenzel-Halls return to face their former club the Roar at Moreton Daily Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Western duo were key players at the Roar last season before making the switch; Western are now competing for the Premiers Plate whilst Brisbane are languish near the foot of the table.
A win to John Aloisi’s side would end a three-game winless run – the longest of Western’s season to date.
TIP: A Western win.
Brisbane Roar v Western United
Moreton Daily Stadium
Kick-off: 5.05pm AEDT
TV: P+
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MACARTHUR FC v MELBOURNE CITY
City face Macarthur FC on the road on Saturday afternoon for the first time since their 2-0 Semi-Final win in the 2020-21 campaign.
It was the kids getting the job done on that night in June, 2021 with Marco Tilio and Stefan Colakovski scoring in a 2-0 win; City head coach Patrick Kisnorbo will need his fringe players to shine once more with Tilio, Connor Metcalfe, Jamie Maclaren and Mathew Leckie all on Socceroos duty.
Macarthur return to action after a 4-2 loss to Central Coast in which head coach Ante Milicic dragged three of his starting players at the 30-minute mark. The triple substitution was the earliest in the history of Australian men’s professional football.
TIP: City extend their gap at the top back to three points.
Macarthur FC v Melbourne City
Campbelltown Stadium
Kick-off: 7.45pm AEDT
TV: P+, Network 10
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CENTRAL COAST MARINERS v ADELAIDE UNITED
Adelaide’s charge up the A-League Men’s table has stagnated of late after consecutive winless games. Starting the weekend in third spot on the table, the Reds will now look to stay within reach of the top two with a road win over the Mariners.
Central Coast forwards Jason Cummings is hitting his stride in the A-League Men with five assists notched in his last five games. His best form has coincided with a four-game unbeaten run for Nick Montgomery’s side, with the Mariners pushing for a spot in the top six once again after a mid-season form slump.
TIP: Mariners too good for a Reds side not quite out of a slump.
Central Coast Mariners v Adelaide United
Central Coast Stadium
Kick-off: 7.45pm AEDT
TV: P+
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MELBOURNE VICTORY v WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS
Going unbeaten in back-to-back fixtures against Adelaide last week helped bolster the confidence of a Western Sydney outfit showing signs of improvement under head coach Mark Rudan.
The Wanderers have picked up seven points from a possible 12 in their last four fixtures (W2, D1, L1) to sit five points behind sixth-placed Victory at the start of the weekend, making this Sunday’s clash between the two sides an important one in the context of the top six race.
But Victory will be looking up the table instead of down. After three consecutive draws, head coach Tony Popovic will be urging his side to put the five teams above them in their sights as Victory push to entrench themselves in the title race. The last time these sides met, Western Sydney won 2-0 in mid-February. Victory went unbeaten in the five matches that followed (W2, D3) leading into the weekend.
TIP: Victory too good at home.
Melbourne Victory v Western Sydney Wanderers
AAMI Park
Kick-off: 7.05pm AEDT
TV: P+
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LIBERTY A-LEAGUE GRAND FINAL
SYDNEY FC v MELBOURNE VICTORY
It doesn’t get bigger than this: the 2021-22 A-League Women Grand Final, set to play out between two great rivals at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Melbourne Victory stormed from a fourth-place finish into the Grand Final – and a familiar foe stands in their path to back-to-back Liberty A-League Championships: the all-conquering Premiers Sydney FC, spurred on by the anguish of last season’s title decider.
Just like this weekend’s title decider, Victory approached the 2020-21 Grand Final as underdogs, having finished second behind premiers Sydney in the regular season.
Matildas winger Cortnee Vine looms as Sydney’s most destructive attacking weapon. Vine’s output in the Semi-Finals showed just how frightening she can be on her day; coming into the fixture under an injury cloud, Vine was brought off the bench at half-time with her side trailing Melbourne City 1-0. City would add a second to the scoresheet before Vine ran rampant, scoring twice in the 4-2 turnaround.
Coming off the right wing, Victory left-back and fellow Matildas rising star Courtney Nevin must be at her best to avoid Vine stealing the show on Sunday afternoon.
In the navy blue corner it’s Melina Ayres who will look to be the difference for Victory. Ayres has two goals in two consecutive starts after her long-awaited return from a hamstring injury.
Ayres missed almost the entirety of the regular season thanks to the injury, returning for a bench cameo in Victory’s last game of the regular season. But the 22-year-old is back with a bang, scoring against the Reds and City in consecutive Finals wins to help Victory into the Grand Final.
TIP: Sydney FC to enact revenge for last season’s heartbreaker.
Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory
Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
Kick-off: 4.05pm AEDT
TV: P+, Network 10
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