And so we enter the final stretch of the A-League regular season; there are eight rounds left to play, so we’ve got eight more rounds of expert tips left until the finals.
Last week had something of a spanner thrown into the works, with Melbourne’s trip to Newcastle postponed due to the heatwave, which surely wasn’t as bad as everyone was expecting, right? Regardless, the move didn’t help the Victory or the A-League itself, with the match petering out into a nil-all draw, a fitting way to end ‘defender round.’
The wash-up of the results is that Vas has moved back to the top of the table with 51 points, now one ahead of your humble (and getting humbler) author.
Following us is The Crowd (43), Mike and Matt are stuck together on 42, while Janek has dropped back a bit, now a further four points adrift.
This week begins with the woeful Adelaide hosting Newcastle before Melbourne City make the trip across the ditch to face Wellington. Both Sydney sides will square off on Saturday night in the third derby of the year, after which Perth will host a late Saturday night match against Brisbane. The round then finishes off with the Mariners hosting the Victory.
As always, be sure to lend your voice to The Crowd in the form below to help every Roarer out-tip the experts. Voting closes at 4pm (AEDT) on Friday, so make sure you check back after then to see the final results.
On to the tips!
Newcastle Jets, Melbourne City, Draw, Draw, Mariners
Adelaide United vs Newcastle Jets
Jets. How much lower can the defending champions go? Adelaide’s campaign has been a shambles and they’ve now got the added distraction of the ACL to worry about. The Jets should take full advantage in front of the disinterested Reds faithful.
Wellington Phoenix vs Melbourne City
City. Only the Phoenix will know why they played a friendly midweek, but it’s unlikely to have done them many favours. With City eager to fend off the advances of a ladder-climbing Perth Glory, they could prove too strong in Wellington.
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sydney FC
Draw. Western Sydney are desperate to kick-start a hugely disappointing campaign. They’re likely to run out in front of a big crowd at ANZ Stadium for the derby, and they could nick a point off a Sydney FC side in cruise control.
Perth Glory vs Brisbane Roar
Draw. An intriguing encounter over in the west, where a resurgent Glory will look to put the Roar to the sword. Perth are the in-form team in the A-League right now, but they could find a confident Roar outfit a tough nut to crack, with a draw the likely outcome.
Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne Victory
Mariners. How far can the Mariners extend their winning streak? They’ll go into this Gosford showdown full of confidence, not least because if results elsewhere go their way, they could end up in the top six. An upset is on the cards.
Newcastle Jets, Draw, Sydney FC, Draw, Central Coast Mariners
Adelaide United vs Newcastle Jets
Newcastle. The Jets were fantastic against the Victory on Monday and should have taken all three points. I feel they will against poor old Adelaide.
Wellington Phoenix vs Melbourne City
Draw. It’s never easy across the ditch and it will take plenty to convince me still that City are the real deal. A draw for me.
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sydney FC
Sydney. The Wanderers just can’t get near Sydney during the big dances, and that won’t change here. Sydney will still be sky blue by the end of Saturday night.
Perth Glory vs Brisbane Roar
Draw. Two excellent sides, too hard to split. I suspect both sides would consider a draw a decent result, too.
Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne Victory
Mariners. Can Central Coast win four in a row? Yes they can!
Newcastle Jets, Draw, Sydney FC, Draw, Melbourne Victory
Adelaide United vs Newcastle Jets
Newcastle. Adelaide are in ruins, a thumping at home to Perth leaving them almost certain to claim the wooden spoon. The Jets, however, have a realistic sniff at finals after a long time away.
Wellington Phoenix vs Melbourne City
Draw. The Phoenix are going through a rough patch and are seeing their finals chances tumble. City are still struggling to string their own run of form together.
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sydney FC
Sydney FC. Despite their patchy form I can see Wanderers emulating January’s goalless Derby, but going with the Sky Blues this time.
Perth Glory vs Brisbane Roar
Draw. This should be an intriguing tussle between two fine sides that have not quite found top form this season. Think this could be a stalemate.
Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne Victory
Melbourne. Central Coast are well within the finals mix after stringing together three consecutive wins. That run will end here, with Victory intent on securing second spot.
Newcastle Jets, Draw, Sydney FC, Perth Glory, Melbourne Victory
Adelaide United vs Newcastle Jets
Newcastle. The campaign from hell can’t end soon enough for the Reds – the Jets earned a solid draw at home against the Victory last start, and should be strong on their travels.
Wellington Phoenix vs Melbourne City
Wellington. The Phoenix had a poor game against Sydney FC last week, but can bounce back against the understrength City.
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sydney FC
Sydney. The Wanderers continued their home struggles last week, and coupled with Sydney FC’s form, they’re unlikely to notch their first derby win of the year.
Perth Glory vs Brisbane Roar
Perth. Crunch game of the round, as a win for the Glory would see them leapfrog Brisbane into third, while the Roar could narrow the gap to second place Victory to four points if they can win in the west. Perth at home are always tough to tip against.
Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne Victory
Melbourne. The Victory will be disappointed to have given up two points in Newcastle last week – their challenge remains just as tough down the F3, with the Mariners winning last start in Western Sydney.
Newcastle Jets, Melbourne City, Sydney FC, Perth Glory, Melbourne Victory
Adelaide United vs Newcastle Jets
Newcastle. Adelaide’s season has never looked like kicking itself into gear, and I’ll tip Newcastle to continue the defending champs’ dismal run.
Wellington Phoenix vs Melbourne City
City. A bit of hit and hope here from me, but with City gaining a host of players back from suspension, they should be able to account for the Phoenix despite being on the road.
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sydney FC
Sydney. Even though Western Sydney get to escape their dismal “home” confines of Spotless Stadium, they probably won’t find ANZ Stadium any more of a happier hunting ground against the league’s best side.
Perth Glory vs Brisbane Roar
Perth. This is another tough one to tip, but Perth will be riding high after their 5-0 thumping of Adelaide while Brisbane are coming off a disappointing draw, albeit a controversial one, against City. As such, I’ll take the home side to get the job done.
Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne Victory
Melbourne. Impressive as the Mariners’ current run is, the Victory have been by far and away the second best side this season, and that gulf in class will show on Sunday.
| Round 20 | Mike | Matt | Janek | Vas | Daniel | The Crowd |
| ADL v NEW | NEW | NEW | NEW | NEW | NEW | NEW |
| WEL v MLC | MLC | Draw | Draw | Draw | MLC | Draw |
| WSW v SYD | Draw | SYD | SYD | SYD | SYD | SYD |
| PER v BRI | Draw | Draw | Draw | PER | PER | PER |
| CCM v MVC | CCM | CCM | MVC | MVC | MVC | MVC |
| Last week | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Total | 42 | 42 | 38 | 51 | 50 | 43 |
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