Adelaide host Sydney as they look to equal their best start to a season, Auckland want to return to the winning ways to keep top spot, Brisbane and Perth battle for their first wins, a blockbuster Melbourne Derby, Wellington travel to Western Sydney, the under-pressure champions Central Coast take on Macarthur, while Newcastle Jets have the bye.
Adelaide United v Sydney FC
Last round, Adelaide broke their Gosford hoodoo in grand style in a crushing 4-0 victory over champions Central Coast.
Adelaide ran riot in the opening match of Round 8 as the Reds’ unbeaten run to start the season extended to seven matches.
Teenager Panagiotis Kikianis scored the second goal of the game with a close-range volley in the 49th minute.
Adelaide now boast five wins and two draws from seven games, with the latest result moving them into second on the ladder and marking their best start to a season in a decade.
The Reds entered the match having lost their past six matches in Gosford since last winning there in 2019, but they made a mockery of that record with arguably their most dominant display of the season.
Meanwhile Sydney FC coach Ufuk Talay has called out his “underperforming” side, saying they need to look in the mirror after falling to a 4-3 defeat to Western United.
The Sky Blues should have had a larger buffer after taking 12 shots on target to four in the first half, but United goalkeeper Matt Sutton proved a true brick wall.
Sydney began the season as one of the hot favourites for the A-League title but three losses in four games have quickly seen them tumble down the table.
They’ve won three of their first five games but have yet to win back-to-back games in an inconsistent start to the season.
Auckland FC v Western United
The dream start to A-League life is over for Auckland after a 2-2 draw with Melbourne City brought an end to their six-game winning streak.
They still remain undefeated but are now the walking wounded.
Auckland were without first-choice trio Dan Hall (broken ankle), Cam Howieson (calf) and Louis Verstraete (back) through injury against City.
Coach Steve Corica hopes Verstraete can return against United but Howieson will miss five weeks while Hall is sidelined indefinitely – potentially for two or three months.
Western United should be full of confidence after their pulsating 4-3 win over Sydney and the in-form team will be hoping to cause a major boilover.
Jon Aloisi’s United side recorded their first win over Sydney since January 2023, in large part thanks to goalkeeper Sutton, who put on a show with nine fantastic saves.
Western have picked up seven of their eight points for the season in the last four rounds and after a slow start to the season, have closed in on the top six.
Brisbane Roar v Perth Glory
This is a must-win game for both teams this week. All the pressure is on both head coaches Ruben Zadkovich and David Zdrilic to win their first game of the season.
Brisbane and Perth are the only two winless teams after eight rounds, both with two points apiece and four points behind Newcastle Jets in 11th.
The Roar return home after a 2-2 draw against Western Sydney Wanderers where they were criticised for time wasting in the second half.
Zadkovich defended his players and the approach post-game.
Perth’s Zdrilic on the other hand is urging fans to stick by the embattled club.
His position is again under the microscope following Glory’s 4-0 loss to the Jets in Perth last Saturday night.
Perth trailed 3-0 inside 26 minutes, and their for-and-against goal tally now stands at a woeful 4-24 for the season.
Glory’s winless run has now extended to 18 games, and they will equal the A-League Men record of 19 unless they win at Suncorp Stadium.
Melbourne Victory v Melbourne City
It’s the annual Christmas Melbourne Derby but the preparation for one side has been rocked with the departure of their head coach.
Patrick Kisnorbo has made a shock departure from Melbourne Victory only six months into a three-year deal to take up an opportunity overseas.
After just seven A-League games, Kisnorbo told Victory he was out, effective immediately, leaving assistant coach Arthur Diles to step in as interim coach for their clash with cross-town rivals City.
Kisnorbo inked a long-term contract with Victory in June this year and the signs looked promising with the powerhouse Melbourne club only dropping one match to sit third on the ladder.
City will be smelling blood and head into the top four clash full of confidence after ending Auckland’s win streak in the 2-2 draw. The week before they crushed Brisbane 4-1.
Overseas imports Andreas Kuen and Yonatan Cohen are hitting their straps in City colours, with Kuen topping the league’s assist leaderboard after eight rounds.
Western Sydney Wanderers v Wellington Phoenix
Western Sydney missed a chance to vault themselves up the table after twice giving away leads on the way towards drawing with winless Brisbane.
Entering as one of the league’s highest-scoring teams but also among its most defensively porous, the all-or-nothing nature of the Wanderers were not happy with Brisbane’s second half tactics.
A win would have moved them level on points with sixth-placed Wellington, but now it’s a new week, and a win against said team can launch them up the table.
Phoenix are coming off back-to-back losses and are desperately in need of a result to avoid three straight defeats for the first time under head coach Giancarlo Italiano.
In last week’s 2-1 defeat to Macarthur, Kosta Barbarouses was their sole goalkicker, to no surprise, as the veteran has been the key to their fortunes.
Three wins, one draw and one defeat through the first five rounds of the season saw the Nix’ climb to second but now they’re at risk of being bundled out of the top six by the Wanderers this weekend.
Macarthur Bulls v Central Coast Mariners
This round will finish off with a Monday-night clash as Macarthur Bulls and Central Coast Mariners meet.
Macarthur find themselves just outside the top four after two draws and a win in the last three rounds, including a 2-1 triumph over Wellington.
In that game, goalkeeper Filip Kurto proved the difference with a world class save in each half against his former club amid extremely windy conditions.
Because the Melbourne Derby will see third play fourth, a win for the Bulls this weekend would see them add pressure to the top four or possibly jump in if City are to lose.
Reigning champions Central Coast are bruising after a 4-0 loss to Adelaide last week.
Little went right on the night for the injury-hit Mariners, who were on a two-match winning streak but looked a shadow of the outfit that won the past two titles.
They had a horrific start to the season but came back into form with two consecutive wins before last week’s crushing loss.
Matchday 9 – Schedule AEDT
Friday 20/12
Adelaide United v Sydney FC 7.35pm
Saturday 21/12
Auckland FC v Western United 3pm
Brisbane Roar v Perth Glory 5pm
Melbourne Victory v Melbourne City 7.35pm
Sunday 22/12
Western Sydney Wanderers v Wellington Phoenix 5pm
Monday 23/12
Macarthur Bulls v Central Coast Mariners 7pm
Standings
Teams Win Draw Loss Points
1. Auckland 6.1.0.19
2. Adelaide Utd 5.2.0.17
3. Melb Victory 5.1.1.16
4. Melb City 4.1.2.13
5. Macarthur 3.2.3.11
6. Well Phoenix 3.1.3.10
7. Sydney FC 3.0.4.9
8. Western Utd 2.3.3.9
9. CC Mariners 2.3.2.9
10. WS Wanderers 2.2.3.8
11. Newcastle Jets 2.0.5.6
12. Brisbane Roar 0.2.5.2
13. Perth Glory 0.2.6.2
With AAP
