After four straight wins, the league-leading Brisbane Roar met on Friday night with Newcastle Jets, in round 11 of A-League.
The Jets, on the other hand, wasted an opportunity to snatch second spot on the ladder after going down 1-0 to Western Sydney last week. The Jets have been able to win against strong teams away from home, but the Friday night task wasn’t easy – getting three points at Suncorp Stadium against the top team.
The last time the two sides met in round six, it was a 2-1 loss in an away match for Brisbane Roar.
With Melbourne Heart emerging from a challenging assignment against Western Sydney Wanderers and disappointing one point from Pirtek Stadium last Saturday, Aloisi’s team will enter Saturday’s game with Melbourne Victory still searching for their first win of the season.
Despite Heart’s bottom-of-the-table position, it will be a testing encounter for Victory, who will be entering the Melbourne derby for the first time under Kevin Muscat, since he took over the head coaching position from Ange Postecoglou.
Heart coach John Aloisi is under intense pressure – the Heart have won just eight of 37 games, including none in 10 this season. If there’s ever a time to lift and change the pace, it’s the Melbourne derby.
Melbourne Victory will enter the match after a 2-0 win over Perth.
Adelaide United got a confidence boost last Sunday, when they carved out a 4-0 victory against the defending champions Central Coast Mariners.
The Perth Glory host on the other hand had a turbulent week with a heated feud between skipper Jacob Burns and Alistair Edwards, costing the coach his job.
The 45-year-old Edwards has become the first coaching casualty of the season after he was sacked by Perth Glory for his fallout with the club’s senior players.
The Adelaide side will enter the match without striker Fabio Ferreira after he sustained an abductor injury.
For Wellington Phoenix, who will welcome Sydney FC this Sunday, it will be its second game in just four days, but on the home ground, where they’ve only lost once this season.
From round 10 of the league last weekend, Sydney FC came out with a 2-1 win over Heart.
Coach Frank Farina will be sweating on the availability of Alessandro Del Piero, with the veteran Italian taken off last week with tightness in his lower back.
And with the match kicking off a period of three games in 13 days for the Sky Blues, Farina will have to use Del Piero wisely.
On Monday, the reigning champions Central Coast Mariners will travel to Western Sydney Wanderers, who look set to get young Tomi Juric back from injury for this encounter.
For the defending champions, who are struggling to overcome the many changes at the club, the challenge will be getting three points at Pirtek Stadium, where the Wanderers are yet to lose this season.