In the interests of putting Australia’s woeful performance against Thailand well and truly behind us, let’s move on to our weekly dose of A-League expert tips and predictions.
Last week saw a bit of a changing of the guard at the top of our leaderboard. With Matt only managing two from five, my four correct tips were enough to vault me into first place on 17 points one ahead of our former leader. Mike (14) is a couple of points back in equal-third place with The Crowd, while Vas, who enjoyed a boost with four from five last week, and Janek sit in fifth and sixth respectively.
This week, we’ve only got four games to mull over, following the postponement of Wellington’s home match against the Victory due to the recent earthquake.
With that fixture off the cards, it leaves us with a Friday night double-header of Western Sydney versus Melbourne City and Perth hosting Adelaide, Brisbane’s Saturday night home game against the table-topping Sky Blues, and the F3 derby between Newcastle and Central Coast on Sunday afternoon.
So, who’s going to win? Well, you’re about to (possibly) find out.
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!
Melbourne City, Draw, Draw, Central Coast Mariners
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Melbourne City
City. The visitors may not be in the best of form, but Western Sydney look in disarray. The Wanderers are as unbalanced a side as you’re likely to see in the A-League and it will cost them all three points here.
Perth Glory vs Adelaide United
Draw. The Glory were humbled at Allianz Stadium last weekend, while Adelaide finally halted their losing streak. The hosts should just about start as favourites, but this one could finish all square over in the west.
Brisbane Roar vs Sydney FC
Draw. Undoubtedly the match of the round. The Roar will be more than up for the challenge against a red-hot Sydney FC. Expect this one to finish in a high-scoring draw.
Newcastle Jets vs Central Coast Mariners
Mariners. Two desperate teams go head to head in the F3 derby. The hosts have looked ordinary at best this season, but the Mariners are improving under Paul Okon, and could snatch a rare win on the road.
Melbourne City, Adelaide United, Sydney FC, Draw
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Melbourne City
City. The Wanderers just aren’t doing enough to impress me at the moment and defensively they’re poor – expect Bruno Fornaroli to score at least once.
Perth Glory vs Adelaide United
Adelaide. Perth weren’t as bad as the scoreline suggested against Sydney and they really should have led. Andy Keogh’s shooting boots have gone missing, though, while Sergi Guardiola has found his. The Reds to finally get off the mark for me.
Brisbane Roar vs Sydney FC
Sydney. Seven in a row for Sydney? I think they can do it. They just have so much momentum and with key players Filip Holosko, Milos Ninkovic and Alex Brosque looking sharp in attack and the defence still watertight, I think they will keep riding the crest of the wave up at Suncorp.
Newcastle Jets vs Central Coast Mariners
Draw. This game will either be a drab nil-nil draw or so open it could end in a goal fest. Either way, the wounded Jets are as bad as the toothless Mariners at the moment, so I’ll go with a draw.
Draw, Draw, Brisbane Roar, Newcastle Jets
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Melbourne City
Draw.
Perth Glory vs Adelaide United
Draw.
Brisbane Roar vs Sydney FC
Brisbane.
Newcastle Jets vs Central Coast Mariners
Newcastle.
Draw, Perth Glory, Sydney FC, Draw
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Melbourne City
Draw. Normally so reliable at the back, the Wanderers have conceded an average of more than two goals a game after six games. That record isn’t likely to be improved against a City side that has had no problem hitting the target. Defence will be the key to Wanderers’ path to victory, while City have had problems on the road this season. A draw seems likely, given past evidence from both sides.
Perth Glory vs Adelaide United
Glory. Perth are strong favourites, courtesy of their ability in front of goal, with goals being shared across the park. Yet they are winless for almost a month, having lost in Brisbane and Sydney and drawn with the Wanderers a fortnight ago. Adelaide, meanwhile, may have turned a corner with their home draw against the Roar last week, yet their form doesn’t suggest an upset in the west.
Brisbane Roar vs Sydney FC
Sydney. Brisbane’s three-game winning run was halted in Adelaide, while Sydney FC’s momentum continued unabated at home against Perth. Brisbane will have Jamie Maclaren returning from Socceroos duty, yet John Aloisi may only rely on him for a bench role following the tough encounter in Thailand. Sydney FC, however, have been rampant in front of goal, averaging nearly three per game, while their defence has only been breached twice. The winning run can’t continue forever, and while Brisbane will be a stern test, Sydney FC should be too strong.
Newcastle Jets vs Central Coast Mariners
Draw. The 41st F3 Derby finds both sides hovering perilously near the foot of the ladder, spared only by Adelaide’s struggles. The Jets are on a three-game losing run, and should they come short against their regional rivals, the pressure will start weighing down on Mark Jones. The Mariners are good enough to win, but the Jets will fight hard to force a close tussle.
Melbourne City, Perth Glory, Sydney FC, Draw
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Melbourne City
City. Both sides have been difficult to tip in recent weeks, but with Luke Brattan back in the side, I’ll take City to steal the points against the Wanderers.
Perth Glory vs Adelaide United
Perth. The Glory had four goals put past them last week by the Sky Blues, but that hasn’t exactly been a rare occurrence for any side. Against a shaky looking Adelaide side, the Glory should get the job done at home.
Brisbane Roar vs Sydney FC
Sydney. Brisbane still haven’t hit their straps, while the Sky Blues still haven’t dropped a point. Enough said.
Newcastle Jets vs Central Coast Mariners
Draw. Both sides have been better than expected this side, yet they’re still both difficult to get a read on. I’ll take the draw in this one.
| Round 7 | Mike | Matt | Janek | Vas | Daniel | The Crowd |
| WSW v MLC | MLC | MLC | Draw | Draw | MLC | MLC |
| PER v ADL | Draw | ADL | Draw | PER | PER | PER |
| BRI v SYD | Draw | SYD | BRI | SYD | SYD | SYD |
| NEW v CCM | CCM | Draw | NEW | Draw | Draw | NEW |
| Last week | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Total | 14 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 17 | 14 |
We’ve got another week of Crowd tips in, with a couple of tight fixtures and two clear consensus picks. Both Melbourne City (64.5%) and Perth Glory (69.7%) were comfortably backed in to get the job done on Friday night, but the other two matches were far closer.
In the end, Sydney FC (46.1%) were tipped to continue their winning streak against the maroon-clad Brisbane Roar, while Newcastle (40.8%) juuuuust pipped the draw (39.5%) as the preferred option for the final match of the round between the Jets and Mariners.
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