A-League preview and talking points: Round 2

The A-League kicked off in style last weekend with some great games and engaging match-ups.

Here we take a look at Round 2 with the return of the Sydney derby and David Villa’s unveiling in Melbourne.

Adelaide United versus Melbourne Victory: Can Victory be stopped?
A crowd of around 30,000 is expected at Adelaide Oval when the Reds host Melbourne Victory. These two clubs have a long rivalry and this should be a fascinating battle with both securing wins in Round 1.

Victory smashed the Wanderers 4-1 and sent a message to the rest of the competition. Gui Finkler ran the show and their attacking trio of Besart Berisha, Kosta Barboureses and Archie Thompson looked in great touch. Victory’s set pieces were something to behold and they really bullied Western Sydney around the park.

Adelaide United will provide tougher opposition and they have started well with an upset defeat of Brisbane Roar. Adelaide’s Latin and Iberian contingent got them purring, with Bruce Djite pitching in with a pearler of a goal, but the Reds’ defence will have to be at its best to stop a rampant Victory.

Central Coast Mariners versus Wellington Phoenix: McGlinchey’s return
The Mariners stole three points from Newcastle last week at the death while Wellington were a tad unlucky not to get a draw against Perth. The Phoenix have gone on the road and landed at Gosford to claim their first points of the season.

They have brought Michael McGlinchey with them, the former Mariner whose departure from the Central Coast was extremely messy. The saga surrounding his contract was one of the stories of the off-season, but in the end the Mariners let him go and he will line up as a key force for Ernie Merrick’s men.

McGlinchey is sure to face a hostile reception from his old club, who will need to improve greatly from their display in the F3 derby. Phil Moss’ side were disjointed and below-par in the opener, with the performance of Malik Mane the only highlight. More will be needed to defeat Wellington, who were solid in Round 1 against the Glory but need to be more ruthless in front of goal.

Sydney FC versus Western Sydney Wanderers: Derby delight
Bragging rights will come early in Sin City as Bling FC and the Westies meet for the first time this campaign. A near-sell-out crowd should be on hand to see this one, with Alianz Stadium rocking.

The Wanderers were woeful last weekend, but with Tomi Juric and Nikolai Topor-Stanley back, you can expect a lot more from the Asian Champions League finalists. Derby games are different than normal A-League matches and this will be no different.

Sydney FC started slowly against Melbourne City but grew into the match and ended up with a draw. Graham Arnold would relish a victory over his old mate Tony Popovic and we could see the A-League debut of Austrian marquee marksman Marc Janko.

Melbourne City versus Newcastle Jets: Cue more Villa magic?
David Villa capped off his performance off the bench against the Sky Blues with a well-taken goal. But it was fellow European import, Damian Duff, who was man of the match for Melbourne City last Saturday, who provided the highlights with his runs and attacking play.

The passing of Aaron Mooy and the rejuvenated James Brown were also positives. City are expecting a bumper crowd for Villa’s first match at AAMI Park and will be favourites to get their first win.

The Jets were surprisingly good against the Mariners but wasteful in front of goal, which cost them dearly in the end. With a raft of away games in front of them it doesn’t get any easier for Newcastle. They will be up against it in this one and will need to find goals from somewhere to have a hope of going home with all three points.

Perth Glory versus Brisbane Roar: Has Brisbane lost its bite?
After going a goal up against Adelaide, Brisbane imploded thanks to a Bruce Djite stunner, an own goal from James Donachie and a red card to Matt McKay. The Reds are no pushovers but the Roar weren’t as clinical without Besart Berisha and also missed Ivan Franjic on the right.

Brisbane hasn’t become a bad team overnight, and still have a host of talented stars, but it appears they won’t be dominating teams as much as they did in 2013-2014.

Perth’s smash and grab trip to New Zealand was effective – they took their chances and went home with a much-needed victory. Andy Keogh demonstrated a real poacher’s finish while Jamie Maclaren came off the bench and scored a great winner.

Kenny Lowe’s men are still coming together as a team, after a massive off-season recruitment campaign, but on first view there is some promise. Perth is never an easy place to play and the Glory will fancy their chances against a Roar team missing a handful of first-team regulars.

Follow John Davidson on Twitter @johnnyddavidson