Both Western Sydney Wanderers and Adelaide United earned tough wins mid-week to prepare themselves for the weekend fixtures.
Adelaide United was the last to play, earning a hard fought 2-1 win over Central Coast Mariners at Hindmarsh Stadium.
Central Coast enjoyed the brighter start on Thursday night and the majority of possession, restricting Adelaide to playing long balls out from defence.
Adelaide United coach Josep Gombau says the turning point for the team was its immediate goal after the Mariners got ahead.
“The first 20 minutes we didn’t have the passing lines and the style we play,” he says.
“For me the key moment was when they scored, and one minute later we scored.
“This made the team trust in itself and try to play our football.
It was comforting to see Central Coast play so cohesively after it saw its head coach asked to leave just last week.
For the Wanderers, they finally secured a win at Wanderland when they managed a 3-2 victory over Melbourne City.
It is just their second win of the season and in turn has finally lifted them off the bottom of the A-League ladder.
City, who were desperate to regain a top-six spot, remain seventh after back-to-back defeats.