The reigning premiers have a daunting away trip against Macarthur as they, along with the rest of the competition’s teams, deal with missing stars to Socceroos duty.

Melbourne City is hoping to create further distance as league leaders, though the Bulls will be sure to give their undermanned opponents a real challenge.

Arthur Papas’ Newcastle side goes up against another weakened club in Sydney FC in the currently scheduled opener of the A-League’s 20th round, though a COVID-19 outbreak in the Novocastrians’ camp will leave them in danger should the match go ahead.

Western United travels to face Brisbane, needing a win to keep in the title race with their Victorian rivals while Wellington hosts a below par Perth Glory.

Melbourne Victory contests with Western Sydney as a back-in-form Central Coast challenges Adelaide United.

Newcastle plays host to Sydney FC on Friday evening in a game threatened by COVID-19.

The Sydney camp will have to deal with the absence of key players to national duty in Andrew Redmayne and Rhyan Grant (Australia).

The Jets, should the game go ahead, will also be without key personnel but both clubs will be sure to fight for the points.

Macarthur goes head-to-head with Melbourne City on Saturday night as the Melbournians battle with absent stars of their own.

The Bulls has their work cut out for them, yet they will take confidence in facing their opponents in a time of relative weakness.

The current champions’ squad, despite missing Jamie Maclaren, Mathew Leckie, Connor Metcalfe and Marco Tilio (all with Socceroos), showed proof of their enduring quality with their 1-2 midweek success away to Brisbane.

Western United travels to compete with Brisbane Roar and they will want nothing less than three points after falling behind in the race for first.

The Green and Black club will be keen to return to winning ways after dropping points in their last three games, allowing City to go clear in front as a result.

The Queenslanders are hoping to secure a win after they were left with a disappointing loss in their Wednesday night catchup game.

The Mariners collide at home with Adelaide United and the Gosford club will hope to keep their four-match unbeaten streak going.

The Reds will be very keen to bounce back from their two games against the Wanderers wherein they were handed a home loss and a draw.

Wellington Phoenix faces a travelling Perth outfit in serious trouble, having sacked coach Richard Garcia following three losses and a draw in four games on home soil.

The Glory is desperate for a positive result which they will need to get without the help of star striker and former Panathinaikos frontman, Bruno Fornaroli, after he was summoned to represent his adopted country of Australia.

Interim coach Ruben Zadkovich asked his players to show some determination regardless of the end result.

“Outcome aside, if I get the performance that I think reflects the kind of fight and resilience we need to start showing for this club, that will be a massive positive,” Mr Zadkovich said.

Melbourne Victory hopes to triumph Western Sydney at AAMI Park in Sunday’s lone game as they look to rebuild their season which, at one point, looked destined for a title hunt.

The Victorians showed resilience after coming from behind midweek to bag a 1-1 draw against rivals, Western United, which they will need to improve on to topple the unpredictable Wanderers.

Melbourne manager Tony Popovic singled out winger Marco Rojas for a good performance in Wednesday’s game which he hopes he can carry into their next game.

“We want Marco Rojas to deliver this week in, week out and he’ll get a lot of confidence from that…he felt he should’ve scored a few goals today, but hopefully he can do that on Sunday for us,” Mr Popovic said post-match.

A-League Round 20 fixtures currently scheduled at time of publication

Newcastle Jets-Sydney FC: 19.45, McDonald Jones Stadium, Fri 25 Mar

Brisbane Roar-Western United: 17.05, Moreton Daily Stadium, Sat 26 Mar

Wellington Phoenix-Perth Glory: 17.05, Leichhardt Oval, Sat 26 Mar

CC Mariners-Adelaide United: 19.45, Central Coast Stadium, Sat 26 Mar

Macarthur FC-Melbourne City: 19.45, Campbelltown Stadium, Sat 26 Mar

Melbourne Victory-WS Wanderers: 19.05, AAMI Park, Sun 27 Mar