Melbourne Victory is set for a must-win away clash against the Arthur Papas-led Newcastle Jets, with the premiership still in the balance between themselves and their fellow Victorian clubs, Melbourne City and Western United.

Victory, sitting in third on 35 points, needs to ensure a win against the Novocastrians in the most anticipated fixture of the A-League’s 24th round if they wish to keep up in the title race.

The stakes are high for Western United as well, with them needing to beat Perth Glory to maximise their games in hand over the league leaders, Melbourne City.

Macarthur FC aims to jump back into the top six when they face Brisbane Roar while Wellington Phoenix is avidly awaiting their contest with Central Coast in their first match on New Zealand soil in nearly a year.

Macarthur FC hosts Brisbane Roar on Friday night in their first opportunity to take Sydney FC’s place in the finals spots.

The Bulls have three games in hand over the Sky Blues and are currently two points behind, meaning they have a real opportunity to cement themselves in the top six if results go their way.

The Roar looks unlikely to progress into the finals series, though they are capable of disrupting oppositions, as evidenced by their hard-fought goalless draw midweek against Victory.

Melbourne Victory travels to Newcastle on Saturday night in a make-or-break moment for their premiership ambitions.

The A-League’s original Melbourne side fumbled on Tuesday against Brisbane, making this a match must-win if they truly want to stay alive in the title race.

The Jets will not make it easy for them, with them still going hard to secure themselves a finals spot.

Victory coach Tony Popovic was unfazed by the midweek draw, praising his side’s recent form which has produced ten points and four clean sheets from their last four matches.

“We want this run to continue on Saturday so another tough trip, we know we’re playing well, we’re confident, we’re disappointed we didn’t win tonight, but we pick ourselves up and we go again,” Mr Popovic said on Tuesday after their draw against Brisbane.

Western United faces Perth Glory in a well-timed encounter for them to reclaim their form as they approach the business end of the season.

The Green and Black club is still best-placed to contest City for the title and a match against the destined wooden spooners could help them launch a final push for the first premiership as a club.

The Glory will do everything in their power to end their 13-match winless run and bring some positivity into what has been an awful A-league campaign for them.

Wellington Phoenix is set to compete with Central Coast on Easter Sunday in their first game on home soil all season.

The Phoenix will be raring to go in their New Zealand homecoming, their first true home game since last May, and they will hope the Phoenix faithful turns up in great numbers to spur their team on.

The Mariners will need to dig deep to ensure there is no fairy tale ending as they themselves continue their pursuit of a top six berth.

Wellington manager Ufuk Talay has no doubt that having their supporters in the stadium will lift the players in what will be a difficult match.

“The noise is very important; we haven’t had that all season. It plays a major role. It’s a boost, it’s the 12th man on the park and the fans play a massive role with the boys getting that extra spring in their step,” Mr Talay said to media before their Easter game.

Four teams will not be playing this week due to Melbourne City and Sydney FC’s AFC Champions league commitments for the next few weeks, the two other clubs not playing being Adelaide United and Western Sydney.

 

A-League Round 24 fixtures currently scheduled at time of publication

Macarthur FC-Brisbane Roar: 19.45, Campbelltown Stadium, Fri 15 Apr

Western United-Perth Glory: 17.05, UTAS Stadium, Sat 16 Apr

Newcastle Jets-Melbourne Victory: 16.05, McDonald Jones Stadium, Sat 16 Apr

Wellington Phoenix-CC Mariners: 13.05, Sky Stadium, Sun 17 Apr