Without wanting to blow my own trumpet, I’m on fire! Only the Jets cost me a perfect round last week and it is a relief to finally see the coattails of the rest of the panel.
Only four tips now separate the field and things are really tightening up. I’m not exactly sure of the prize put up by the editors, however, I have heard it is impressive.
» FIFA World Cup tips and predictions
A slightly quirky week for the A-League, with two games to start the weekend and the postponed match between the Wanderers and the Phoenix to close things out on Sunday.
I kept a record of the tips we had made for this postponed clash yet, with so much water under the bridge, it only seems fair that everyone has another crack at the Sunday game; a game that, if won by the Wanderers, would make the top six very interesting reading.
The danger for the A-League is that we could be looking at a six very close to set, with a slight gap opening up to Brisbane and Perth, who appear to be the last two outside the six with a real chance.
Good luck, and don’t forget to insert your tips into the sheet below to have your say as the voice of the crowd.
Mike Tuckerman
Victory, Sydney, Western Sydney
A strange week in the A-League, given the split round and the rescheduled Round 7 fixture, and one in which plenty of us are, no doubt, hoping to make up some ground following several weeks of dodgy tipping!
Clashes between Melbourne Victory and Brisbane Roar are always fiercely contested affairs, although it’s hard to read too much into recent form. At some point, Victory will need to click into gear if they’re to mount any kind of genuine challenge to Sydney FC.
Will it be this weekend? Who knows? But I’m tipping they’ll have too much quality for an inconsistent Brisbane Roar outfit.
Melbourne City are another of the league’s most inconsistent performers. There are plenty of eyeballs on Daniel Arzani at the moment, but of equal concern has got to be their defence.
They have a habit of conceding soft goals and if they’re on form, the Sky Blues’ attack could rip them to shreds. My tip? Sydney FC for a comfortable win.
As for the Wanderers, they’re probably glad this clash was rescheduled after they started the season with a flurry of draws. They’re desperately clinging to a top six spot, although it’ll be interesting to see if Oriol Riera starts after his little spat with Josep Gombau last week.
Josep Gombau had a run-in with Oriol Riera last week. (AAP Image/ Julian Smith)
The ‘Nix offer little on their travels, so expect another home win in this one – even if it is at Western Sydney’s home away from home, ANZ Stadium.
Stuart Thomas
Victory, Sydney, Western Sydney
Melbourne Victory kick off the round at home to Brisbane, who will be furious after letting points slip last week against City. Despite Melbourne City’s good form, the Roar were more than in the game and missed a chance to put some real pressure on the top six.
Victory will be too good in this one with the carrot of fourth place spurring them on.
AAMI Park will host its second game in two days when Melbourne City and Sydney FC do battle on Saturday night. This has the makings of one of the games of the season. City always push Sydney physically and, with ACL matches looming and one very disappointed defender, the Sky blues will need to be switched on against a home side in good form. City keep falling behind but seem to be able to find a way back.
Tough ask against Sydney and I think the visitors will pinch the away points.
The Wanderers and Phoenix round things out on Sunday at ANZ and I am looking forward to being out there.
With some shenanigans occurring on the Wanderers bench last week; stern words and expressions of affection had us all guessing, it is hard to work out where they are as a team. One thing was certain, the first half they produced was outstanding.
The less said about the second half the better.
This will be pretty much a last hurrah for Wellington and a win still gives them only a distant shot at the finals. Perhaps a photo of John Kosmina on the dressing room wall might get them home? Wanderers to win well.
Daniel Jeffrey
Victory, Sydney, Western Sydney
The Victory haven’t exactly done much to earn the confidence of fans (and tipsters) in recent weeks, but they’re not alone in this match. That Brisbane so quickly relinquished their lead last weekend suggests they won’t be a great threat on the road this time around.
I’ll side with Melbourne to bounce back from last round’s disappointment with a win.
Easily the game of this truncated weekend, Melbourne City hosting the ladder-leading Sky Blues should be an intriguing contest. Hopefully Bruno Fornaroli’s recent goal and mid-week talk will be enough for us to see the dangerous Uruguayan back on the field in the A-League – although a bench appearance is far more likely than a starting role.
Even with their captain back in the fold, this is going to be a tough ask for City, and Sydney FC deservedly enter this match as favourites.
The final match of the round might be, to borrow a word from Bert van Marwijk, ‘interesting’. It’s certainly not a blockbuster, but is a tricky one to pick given the inconsistencies of both teams.
Can Wellington get it together away from home? (Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)
I’ll give the nod to the locals, given Western Sydney are both at home and coming off a handy 2-1 win – a far better lead-in than Wellington’s 4-0 hammering at the hands of the Wanderers’ cross-town rivals.
Alan Kearney
Victory, Sydney, Western Sydney
It was a poor round for both clubs last week with both suffering defeats. Victory have slipped to fifth on the ladder and will want to turn their inconsistent form around, a top four finish can be crucial with a home final spot.
The Victory are also competing in the Asian Champions league which will mean an extremely busy period, a win here is badly needed to start them off on the front foot coming into the back end of the season.
Jade North is back in contention for the Roar and they will need his experience if they are to take anything away from Melbourne. I can’t see past Victory at home.
For me, this is the game of the round. Sydney are continuing to dominate the rest of the competition as they swatted away Wellington last week with their front four on fire. There was positive news for City fans, as Bruno Fornaroli made his comeback during the week playing and scoring in a friendly against Chinese Super League team Guangzhou R&F.
The Uruguayan has also declared himself fit for this encounter. Unbeaten in six games, this match will give us a real idea whether City are serious title contenders, but I find it really hard to see past Sydney and I think they will just get the job done in what should be a cracking game.
The Wanderers had a good win over Central Coast last week and sit just inside the top six. If they are serious about finals football then another win here over bottom-placed Wellington is vital.
Wellington were convincingly beaten by Champions Sydney last week and didn’t win over any fans with their performance, especially new Socceroos coach Bert van Marwijk who was apparently unimpressed by the performance of The ‘Nix.
As bad as they have been this season a win could see them leap frog Central Coast and climb off the foot of the ladder. For me it’s a home win.
| Round 20 | Mike | Stuart | Daniel | Alan | The Crowd |
| MVC vs BRI | MVC | MVC | MVC | MVC | MVC |
| MCI vs SYD | SYD | SYD | SYD | SYD | SYD |
| WSW vs WEL | WSW | WSW | WSW | WSW | WSW |
| Last week | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Previous Total | 39 | 33 | 38 | 35 | 38 |
| New Total | 41 | 37 | 40 | 38 | 41 |
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