A-League preview and talking points: Round 4

Brisbane fail to Roar, Victory victorious, Adelaide stay undefeated and the Jets shot down over Kiwi skies. Round 3 of the A-League dished up some juicy morsels and there should be more excitement and thrills this weekend.

Here we run the rule over Round 4. Brisbane take a much-needed break, Arnie’s Sky Blues head up the F3 to take on his old club and David Villa could play his last game down under.

The Wanderers are again on Asian Champions League duties, this time in Saudi Arabia and hoping to do what seemed unthinkable six months ago.

Melbourne City versus Adelaide United: Vamos Villa
There’ll be a few tears at AAMI Park on Friday night if this fixture is David Villa’s last game in red and white. The former Barca and Atetico Madrid forward has added genuine excitement to the A-League, along with two classy goals from three games.

He’s saved the blushes of a misfiring Melbourne City twice, but could do little as Victory ran riot in the Melbourne derby. Still, with Robert Koren remaining on the sidelines for now, Villa will be hard to replace.

Josh Kennedy is expected to join the club in January but, in all due respect to the big man, he’s not in the same class. It’s like getting a Jeep Cherokee to replace a Ferrari. City were embarrassed by Victory on Saturday and will need to regain some respect against the South Australians.

But Adelaide United are unlikely to give an inch. Gombau’s group has yet to lose a game this season, are in the semi-finals of the FFA Cup and easily dispatched of Perth on Sunday. They play free-flowing, eye-catching football and can kill teams on the counter. This could be a very tough ask for City, even with Villa in their ranks.

Perth Glory versus Newcastle Jets: Punchy Perth
Perth rebounded from their loss last weekend with a good win over Melbourne Victory in the Cup on Wednesday.

They put four goals past the Victory, who had two men sent off, and continue to show signs that they should not be underestimated.

Andy Keogh added two more goals to his growing tally and P-plater Daniel De Silva popped one in as well. The match did go to extra-time though, meaning there could be some tired legs to face Newcastle.

But the Glory will remain favourites in this one, partly because of the Jets’ terrible record in WA, but also because of the NSW side’s mauling by the Phoenix. The Hunter outfit was poor against Wellington, caught ball-watching and very susceptible to speedy counter-attacks. They also struggled up front, Joel Griffiths heading home just the club’s second goal this season to add some semblance of respect to a one-sided match.

Phil Stubbins has few fit options to use but Newcastle will need a rocket to get their heads back on track. The Jets have yet to play at home, but can’t afford another loss this early into the season.

Sydney FC versus Central Coast Mariners: Arnie v Mossy
Grudge match number three from three for the Mariners, who come up against ex-boss Graham Arnold at the SFS. Arnie’s departure from the Central Coast didn’t leave a bad taste, say like Michael McGlinchey’s or Bernie Ibini’s, but still the home team will want get one over the resurgent Sky Blues.

Ibini will also face the Mariners for the first time, after decamping south, and is sure to cop some noise from the travelling Central Coast fans.

Sydney FC out-thought and out-played Brisbane Roar, thanks to a Arnie master-plan, and surely the former Socceroo will have a special set of instructions for his old team that he knows so well. It’s master versus apprentice as Arnold opposes his replacement Phil Moss for the first time.

Marc Janko got his first A-League goal on Friday, Corey Gameiro continues to impress and Sydney FC are equal first on the ladder.

The Mariners have had a mixed start, a win and a loss, but with a week off they might be a tad fresher than the busy boys in blue. The jury remains out on what the Coasties can do this year, but a scalp like the Sky Blues will make everyone sit up and notice.

Melbourne Victory versus Wellington Phoenix: Rising from the ashes
There’s no denying it was a horrible night for Melbourne Victory on Wednesday, not only being knocked out of the FFA Cup but having two players sent off and losing another two to injury.

Daniel Georgievski and Adrian Lejier both received their marching orders and both Besart Berisha and Matthieu Delpierre linped off with injuries. Kevin Muscat might be force to rejig both his backline and his frontline at the same time, with Archie Thompson also going down in the warm-up. But the Phoenix game isn’t until Monday so at least they have five days to recover.

It was a long and not successful trip to Perth and one the Victory will want to put behind them quickly. The arrival of their former coach, the most successful in their 10-year history, should be a great occasion.

Ernie Merrick is started to work wonders with Wellington after an up-and-down 2013-2014 campaign. The front three of McGlinchey, Jeremy Brockie and Nathan Burns is on fire, chipping in six goals and six assists between them, and his recruitment has been spot on. Alex Gorrin and Roly Bonavecia are great finds and combining well with Albert Riera in all-European midfielder.

Burns described Victory as the benchmark in the A-League this week so knocking them off would be a huge coup for the New Zealanders.