Melbourne Victory seek their first win under Arthur Diles when they play Sydney, Wellington and Central Coast look keep in touch with top six, Newcastle and Perth hope to turn fortunes around, Macarthur and Melbourne City want to bounce back, Western Sydney hope to close gap while Auckland looks to regain top spot.
Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC
It’s the second Big Blue of the season as Melbourne Victory host Sydney FC on Friday night.
Both teams are coming off losses, Victory 3-2 to Adelaide United in the Original Rivalry and Sydney shockingly fell to cellar dwellers Brisbane Roar 4-3.
The loss saw the Sky Blues drop out of the top four and could very well lose their spot in the top six if they lose to Victory. Just two points separate the sides.
Victory themselves are out of the top six now, and head coach Arthur Diles is still searching for his first win after six games in charge since taking over from Patrick Kisnorbo.
They were better than United for large parts of their contest but Diles felt small details cost them any chance of being rewarded.
Despite the winless run, he believes Victory’s quality will see them snap the streak and return to form.
Wellington Phoenix v Central Coast Mariners
Two sides who are back in form after last week will face off when Wellington Phoenix return to Christchurch for the first time in nine years to host Central Coast Mariners.
Wellington lost five out of six games before last week amid an injury crisis but have since drawn with Sydney and beat Macarthur Bulls.
A standout performance from teenage goalkeeper Alby Kelly-Heald and Kosta Barbarouses’ 100th A-League goal helped them secure the come-from-behind 2-1 win over Macarthur.
The 19-year-old Kelly-Heald, playing just his second senior game, was credited with eight saves on the evening and Barbarouses’ 100th goal saw the 34-year-old became just the fourth player in A-League history to achieve the feat, joining Bruno Fornaroli, Besart Berisha, and Jamie Maclaren.
Central Coast on the other hand are in the midst of a five-game away trip, this being the fourth game.
The Mariners won just two games in their first 10 this season but breathed fresh life into their campaign with a 3-1 win over Western Sydney Wanderers last week.
The victory was crucial as they risked losing touch with the top six.
Newcastle Jets v Perth Glory
A battle between two battlers in the bottom six when Newcastle Jets host Perth Glory.
Both are looking for their third win of the season and if it’s Perth who do so, it’ll see them take the Jets’11th spot on the table.
The two sides have both been active in the transfer market since it opened on January 16 with Glory bringing in Lachie Wales, Yuto Misao, Takuya Okamoto and Patrick Wood.
Newcastle have signed Japanese international Kota Mizunuma from J1 League side Yokohama F.Marinos.
Can these new arrivals bring a much-needed uplift in form that both sides need in the second half of the season?
Macarthur FC v Melbourne City
Both these teams are looking for a response after last week’s losses.
The Bulls have lost two of their last three games but before that had a six-game unbeaten run while City were on a seven-game unbeaten run before losing to Auckland.
That 3-0 loss saw City lose top position as their inexperienced side (due to injuries to top players) couldn’t keep up with the Kiwis.
City were able to keep the Kiwi side out throughout the second half but they struggled to create good goalscoring opportunities throughout the 90 minutes.
Aurelio Vidmar’s side ended the game with 59 per cent of possession but it took until the 92nd minute for them to produce a shot on target.
But there was a silver lining with the return of Socceroo Mat Leckie, who got his first minutes since November 10 as a late substitute. He should look to get more minutes this week.
Western Sydney Wanderers v Auckland FC
Western Sydney Wanderers are sitting three points outside the top six but could have been level with sixth placed Macarthur and fifth placed Sydney had they not been upset by the Mariners last week.
There will be concern for coach Alen Stajcic on his side’s defensive frailties. They have kept just one clean sheet all season.
In the loss, South Korean centre back loanee Jeong Tae-wook was again absent through injury and Anthony Pantazopoulos was at fault for the Mariners’ opener.
Nathan Paull floated a speculative ball into the Wanderers’ box and Pantazopoulos was muscled off the ball by Alou Kuol, who buried it past Lawrence Thomas.
Auckland will be flying up from Adelaide where they played in a pulsating 2-2 top-of-the-table draw.
Thanks to a 100th minute equaliser from Logan Rogerson, the Black Knights savoured a point and a win against Wanderers will see them back on top in the standings.
Matchday 16 – Schedule AEDT
Friday 24/1
Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC 7.45pm
Saturday 25/1
Wellington Phoenix v Central Coast Mariners 3pm
Newcastle Jets v Perth Glory 5pm
Macarthur FC v Melbourne City 7.35pm
Sunday 26/1
Western Sydney Wanderers v Auckland FC 5pm
Standings
Teams Win Draw Loss Points
1. Adelaide Utd 8.4.1.28
2. Auckland FC 8.3.2.27
3. Melb City 7.3.3.24
4. Western Utd 7.3.4.24
5. Sydney FC 6.3.5.21
6. Macarthur 6.3.5.21
7. Melb Victory 5.4.4.19
8. Western Sydney 5.3.5.18
9. Wellington 5.2.6.17
10. Central Coast 4.5.4.17
11. Newcastle Jets 3.1.8.10
12. Perth Glory 2.2.10.8
13. Brisbane Roar 1.2.10.5
With AAP
