Preview of A-League Round 15 matches (all times AEDT).
SUNDAY, Feb 1
Melbourne City v Western Sydney Wanderers at AAMI Park 5pm
Head to Head: City 0 Wanderers 5 Draw 1
Last clash: Round 27 2013-2014 – Wanderers 3 bt City 2 at AAMI Park
Tab Sportsbet: City $2 Wanderers $3.50 Draw $3.40
Melbourne City haven’t wasted the A-League’s Asian Cup recess, spending the majority of it training in Abu Dhabi and adding another fresh face, Singaporean international defender Safuwan Baharudin, to their squad. The winless Wanderers have also bolstered their stocks with the signing of Japanese duo Yusuke Tanaka and Yojiro Takahagi, striker Kerem Bulut and left-back Sam Galloway – but at this stage they are only registered to play in the AFC Champions League, despite the axing of disappointing Brazilian import Vitor Saba. With Matthew Spiranovic and Tomi Juric on Socceroos duty, this looms as the perfect chance for City to break their Western Sydney duck.
Key: Robi Koren looked in sensational touch across City’s last few games and will surely be much better for the team’s 12-day camp in the Emirates.
Tip: City
MONDAY, Feb 2
Brisbane Roar v Wellington Phoenix at Suncorp Stadium 8pm
Head to Head: Roar 14 Phoenix 3 Draw 5
Last clash: Round 14 2014-2015 – Phoenix 3 bt Roar 0 at Westpac Stadium
Tab Sportsbet: Roar $2.35 Phoenix $2.75 Draw $3.50
Seeing as these two sides faced each other in their last clash before the Asian Cup, this is about as good a measuring stick of their recent progress as either will find. The Roar have been hell-for-leather on the training paddock and will regain marquee man Thomas Broich, who has missed the majority of the season with an ankle injury. New signings Jerome Polenz and Luke DeVere could also play a part and steel what has been a leaky defence. Wellington, meanwhile, were in excellent touch prior to the break and a win here could take them to within two points of ladder leaders Perth Glory. But their star man, the competition’s leading goalscorer Nathan Burns, has the small matter of an Asian Cup final to deal first.
Key: The pace of Roy Krishna and the guile of Michael McGlinchey have combined to give the Phoenix one of the sharpest forward set-ups in the A-League, and if they’re joined by Burns, they will truly test Brisbane.
Tip: Phoenix
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