Western Sydney Wanderers will battle the psychological scars of a poor record against Sydney FC when derby drama grips the Hyundai A-League in Round 2.
One of the most bitter rivalries in Australian sport takes centre stage at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday night with Wanderers boss Markus Babbel hoping to be the instigator of a change in the power balance.
Elsewhere, Melbourne Victory have a milestone in mind following their Melbourne Derby let-down while Roy Krishna and Andrew Durante chase personal marks for Wellington Phoenix.
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Riera required for Sydney Derby uprising
They clashed in the FFA Cup earlier this month and now Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers are set to take their hostile rivalry to the SCG.
Markus Babbel, who presided over an encouraging draw at Perth Glory in his first Hyundai A-League match in charge, has a serious tide to overturn on Saturday night.
Western Sydney have lost eight and won just one of their past 14 derbies (including the 2018 FFA Cup Semi Final), failing to score in the second half of any of the past eight.
He does, fortunately, have a dangerous spearhead available in Oriol Riera, who has notched two of Wanderers’ last three against the Sky Blues.
Meanwhile, Sydney FC will hope to unearth a fresh source of goals following Adrian Mierzejewski’s exit, the Poland international having bagged four of their last eight in Hyundai A-League derbies.
Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers, Saturday 7.50pm (AEDT)
Jets look to unlikely source for Coopers Stadium inspiration
Grand Finalists last season, Newcastle Jets made a sobering introduction to the new campaign in Round 1 as Dimitri Petratos’ sweet late strike proved only a consolation in a 2-1 loss to Wellington Phoenix.
Ernie Merrick’s men are back on the road for Friday night’s trip to Adelaide United and will be seeking to avoid what would be consecutive defeats for the first time since April 2017.
The Jets did win on their first visit to South Australia last term before an unexpected 5-2 hammering in Round 24 resumed normal service at Coopers Stadium.
Adelaide have been breached just four times from the past seven occasions they’ve hosted Newcastle at the venue.
Curiously, the normally goal-shy Ben Kantarovski has netted three of those.
Adelaide United v Newcastle Jets, Friday 7.50pm (AEDT)
City on course for successive victories?
Melbourne City should be confident of making it two on the trot in 2018/19 when they head to Central Coast Mariners on Saturday.
The come-from-behind Melbourne Derby winners are undefeated in their last nine meetings with the Mariners, their best current streak against any side.
Central Coast have at least managed to put six past City in this fixture’s last three editions in Gosford despite failing to win any of those.
And the belief gained from a battling draw in Brisbane could serve as the basis for even greater success in front of their own fans.
Starting well will be essential: the team leading at half-time has gone on to win each of the last five games at Central Coast Stadium.
Central Coast Mariners v Melbourne City, Saturday 5.35pm (AEDT)
Taggart the prime threat to Phoenix
Adam Taggart could be in for a confidence-boosting Sunday afternoon against Wellington Phoenix if recent history is a guide.
Brisbane Roar’s new recruit was culpable for several misses prior to equalising in the 1-1 draw with Central Coast last Sunday, but three goals from his last three appearances against Phoenix suggests better luck is on the cards.
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Wellington, however, have banked a point on each of these teams’ previous three meetings and showed they will be far from pushovers in defeating Newcastle last weekend.
Roy Krishna struck late in that match and needs only one more goal to surpass Paul Ifill as the club’s leading scorer.
Extra motivation should come with Andrew Durante just one shy of 100 wins in the Hyundai A-League, while Matt McKay is on the cusp of his 250th appearance.
Brisbane Roar v Wellington Phoenix, Sunday 5.00pm (AEDT)
Victory aim to restore pride at AAMI Park
Melbourne Victory are at home after their derby disappointment and determined to deny Perth Glory a second win against them in nine attempts at AAMI Park.
They’ll also be aiming to dodge back-to-back losses to the Western Australian outfit for what would be the first time since 2012.
Perth intermittently impressed in their Round 1 draw against Western Sydney – unleashing 17 shots – but were made to pay for a lapse at the back.
It’s in attack where they could struggle against Kevin Muscat’s men: the injured Diego Castro is responsible for four goals in his last five appearances in this fixture.
Fail to replace that scoring power and Victory may well celebrate becoming the first club notch a century of Hyundai A-League home wins.
Melbourne Victory v Perth Glory, Sunday 7.00pm (AEDT)
