The A-League Men are back after a week off for the international break and with just six rounds to go, things are heating up.
The round kicks off tonight at 7.35pm (all times in AEDT) when Macarthur Bulls host Newcastle Jets in a battle between two finals hopefuls. The Bulls are five points outside the top six in eight and need to muscle their way back into finals contention. A win here will see them within two points of the finals placed if other results go their way.
For the Jets, they were making a late charge towards the finals but their momentum appears to have come to a halt. Currently sat one place below the Bulls in ninth, they suffered a big 6-2 loss to Western United last time out which leaves them eight points outside the top six.
Saturday’s action starts at 3pm with Western Sydney Wanderers heading over to New Zealand to face Wellington Phoenix. The home team are winless in seven matches and 13 points outside the top six and this looks to be another difficult fixture against a Wanderers side hoping to close the gap on second-placed Western United.
Third placed Wanderers are in hot form, looking for their fifth win in a row. Alen Stajcic’s side have kicked 47 goals so far this season, having already broken their record for most goals scored in a regular season.
Sydney FC host Melbourne City at 5pm in a match with huge implications. The Sky blues are seventh, just three points off sixth. A loss here makes it a hard task to play finals – it doesn’t help that their remaining games are all against teams in the current top six.
City on the other hand are sitting in fourth and could finish the round third if they win here. They also have the better recent record with six wins in their last 10 meetings.
If you thought the Original Rivalry was already big, it’s even bigger this week. Both sides are contending for a spot in the finals and are desperate for a win. Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United are on equal points (33) in fifth and sixth respectively.
Victory’s 4-2 loss to the Wanderers last time out was their only one in their last five matches, so that’ll have them confident. The Reds meanwhile have not won a game in five matches and could be out of the six if they lose and Sydney beat City. Kick-off is at 7.35pm.
The first of the Sunday games sees Central Coast Mariners welcome Perth Glory to Gosford at 3pm. The Mariners are without a win in eight matches but their impressive fightback against league leaders Auckland FC last time out shows they have spirit. Perth are dead last on the ladder and want a win as they desperately look to avoid a second straight wooden spoon.
Then Brisbane Roar face Auckland, hoping for their first home victory at Suncorp Stadium in over a year. Their win last time out, 3-1 over Perth, saw the Roar move off the bottom of the ladder for the first time since Round 1. They hope to avoid their first wooden spoon.
Auckland come into the match off the back of three consecutive draws. They haven’t won since February 22 when they demolished Wellington 6-1, so the gap between them and the rest of the contenders has become smaller. Kick off is at 5pm.
Standings
Teams Win Draw Loss Points
1. Auckland FC 12.6.2.42
2. Western Utd 11.5.5.38
3. Western Sydney 10.4.6.34
4. Melb City 10.4.6.34
5. Melb Victory 9.6.6.33
6. Adelaide Utd 9.6.5.33
7. Sydney FC 8.6.6.29
8. Macarthur 8.4.9.28
9. Newcastle Jets 7.4.9.25
10. Central Coast 4.10.7.22
11. Wellington 5.5.10.20
12. Brisbane Roar 2.5.12.11
13. Perth Glory 2.5.14.11
