The A-League is back for season 2025/26, and Neos Kosmos will be providing previews and recaps of every round of the season.
Sydney out to stop Adelaide’s returning Socceroo
Sydney FC captain Rhyan Grant insists his side are out to spoil Socceroo Craig Goodwin’s welcome home party as they look to put last season’s disappointing campaign behind them.
The Sky Blues take on Adelaide United in the A-League season opener on Friday October 17.
But their eyes are fixed on the Reds’ star signing who returns from a two-year stint in the Saudi Pro League.
Grant said Goodwin will be Adelaide’s “go-to man”, so nullifying him is key to starting off on the right foot.
A fit-again Goodwin will drive a “ruthlessness and relentlessness” into his Adelaide teammates that he regrets may not have been there in title near-misses during previous stints at the A-League club.
New coach Airton Andrioli, the club’s former youth team boss, has taken over the top job from Carl Veart, who wasn’t offered a new deal.
Sydney FC had a disappointing end to last season, missing out on finals despite being tipped as one of the teams to win the title.
Defence has been a key focus of the 17-week pre-season, after the Sky Blues leaked 46 goals last campaign.
Roar ready to rip
Fourteen pre-season games in just 13 weeks has primed the new-look Brisbane Roar to deliver success.
The Roar begin their A-League season on Friday at Suncorp Stadium against Macarthur.
Michael Valkanis, the club’s fourth full-time coaching appointment in less than three years, has been tasked with powering the three-time champion’s rise back from league obscurity.
And he’s been busy with their hectic pre-season schedule wrapping up with two games in the Solomon Islands earlier this month.
Veteran goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis has enjoyed reuniting with Valkanis, who he worked with at Melbourne City before a five-year stint in Europe.
“With Michael, he brings a presence around the group, knows what he wants and everyone’s on the same page this year,” he said.
“It’s a team that’s going to work hard, leave nothing on the pitch.
“You’ll see a very exciting Brisbane Roar this year.
“Macarthur … a lot of threats, good players but we back ourselves against anyone and we’re ready.”
City brace for title fight, Wanderers haven’t forgotten
Melbourne City can already sense a target on their backs as they prepare to kick off their A-League championship defence, left-back Aziz Behich says.
Aurelio Vidmar’s side snared the title in an epic derby grand final against Melbourne Victory last season and have their sights on going back-to-back for the first time in club history.
City have been bolstered by the addition of internationals Takeshi Kanamori and Elbasan Rashani, and kick off the new campaign away to Western Sydney Wanderers on October 18.
City will want to hit the ground running on the domestic front, after a pair of losses against Japanese opposition in their two Asian Champions League Elite matches.
They take on Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday.
Last week Wanderers defender Anthony Pantazopoulos said they’re still lamenting their 2-1 defeat to Melbourne Victory in the first week of last season’s finals.
Pantazopoulos turned down overseas offers to chase Wanderers’ redemption
The loss meant the Wanderers had a longer than desired wait for a new campaign to roll around.
But that didn’t mean it wasn’t the talk of the pre-season.
Now that the new season is here, the club is focusing on reaching and winning their first grand final in nine years.
“I don’t think I’ll ever leave it behind,” Pantazopoulos said.
“We are still hurting from that, because we felt like we were right there, ready to create something really special.
“That’s going to drive us this year.”
Victory driven after grand final heartbreak
Melbourne Victory have added Spanish midfield legend Juan Mata for their first full season under Arthur Diles, who led the club to the decider after taking over from departed coach Patrick Kisnorbo in December.
Portuguese defender Roderick Miranda said the pain of losing the last two grand finals will be a driving factor in the new campaign.
Victory host Auckland FC on Saturday, in their first meeting since knocking off the premiers in a two-legged semi-final last season.
“You never forget these moments … I hope that this year we go a step further,” Miranda said of grand-final defeats to City and Central Coast.
“It’s in the back of our mind but we need to make sure that we put ourselves in the same position to try a different outcome.
“But for now it’s next Saturday, first game, and we know Auckland have a vengeance feeling, for sure, against us because of the semi-final last year.
“We know it will be a really big game.”
Also on Saturday night Perth Glory will host Wellington Phoenix, who are unbeaten away in Perth for more than five years.
Glory head coach David Zdrilic heads into his second season in charge of the club having unfortunately claimed the wooden spoon.
Having competed for the Premiership in the 2023-24 campaign, Wellington suffered a huge drop off last season.
Ultimately finishing in 11th place, Giancarlo Italiano’s side looked a shadow of their former selves.
Jets eye finals after Cup triumph
Fresh off a maiden Australia Cup title, Newcastle coach Mark Milligan wants the long-floundering Jets to embrace the expectation of finals, then a shot at Asian football.
The Jets sealed their first trophy in 17 years with a 3-1 victory over Heidelberg United in the Australia Cup final.
They have only played finals once in the past 15 years but former Socceroos captain Milligan believes Newcastle can return to the top six.
“We want to be a team that plays finals football. We want to compete for things. We’re trying to build a brand of football that we think will do that,” Milligan said.
They play Central Coast Mariners on Sunday 19 October, who last week saw the unexpected departure of treble-winning manager Mark Jackson.
Former Brisbane Roar coach Warren Moon has been named interim boss.
Central Coast were already being tipped to finish near the bottom of the table this season and Moon has the daunting task of attempting to lift the battling Mariners.
Matchday 1 – Schedule AEDT
Friday 17/10
Adelaide United v Sydney FC, 7pm
Brisbane Roar v Macarthur, 9.05pm
Saturday 18/10
Western Sydney Wanderers v Melbourne City, 5pm
Melbourne Victory v Auckland FC, 7.35pm
Perth Glory v Wellington Phoenix, 9.45pm
Sunday 19/10
Central Coast Mariners v Newcastle Jets, 3pm
With AAP
