The Roar's A-League expert tips and predictions: Round 18

We’re starting to get to the business end of the season, and the drama just keeps heating up. Will Sydney FC remain undefeated? Can Adelaide launch a miraculous end-of-season resurgence? Who’s the best team in Melbourne? All those questions and more are on the table for our A-League expert tips and predictions panel.

Last week was a trying one for the panel, with Vas the best of the bunch with a measly two from five. Still, that’s been enough to send him to the top of the table with 46 points, one ahead of myself.

The Crowd and Mike are next up on 38, followed by Matt (36) and Janek (35).

This week begins with the table-topping Sky Blues looking to continue their unbeaten season in Brisbane, before Wellington welcome the Wanderers across the ditch. Victory and City will then face off in the Melbourne Derby, while Perth will look to bounce back from their disaster on the central coast from last week at home against the Jets.

The rounds then wraps up on Sunday with the Mariners hosting Adelaide in Canberra.

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!

Mike Tuckerman

Sydney FC, Draw, Melbourne Victory, Newcastle Jets, Adelaide United

Brisbane Roar vs Sydney FC
Sydney FC. While the Roar will be buoyed by their midweek ACL access, the question is whether they can stop the Sky Blues or not. With the visitors flying high, they could nick all three points here and take another step towards the premiership.

Wellington Phoenix vs Western Sydney Wanderers
Draw. Another Phoenix ‘home’ game and another trip to an unfamiliar venue, with the Phoenix looking to shake off their inconsistent form at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth. The Wanderers are draw specialists; expect another one here.

Melbourne Victory vs Melbourne City
Victory. The fourth instalment of the derby – if you include the FFA Cup – is probably the least anticipated of the season. The Victory are desperate to stay in the premiership race and could see off their city rivals in a typically close contest at Etihad Stadium.

Perth Glory vs Newcastle Jets
Jets. This is a crucial clash for two sides coming off vastly different results last week. The Glory could be leapfrogged by a resurgent Newcastle outfit in Perth, with the Jets aiming for their second league win at nib Stadium this season.

Central Coast Mariners vs Adelaide United
Adelaide. The battle of the cellar dwellers takes place at GIO Stadium, where a sparse crowd is expected to watch these two sides go around. The Mariners should probably poach this on form, but the Reds might rally in the neutral confines of Canberra.

Matt Connellan

Sydney FC, Wellington Phoenix, Melbourne Victory, Perth Glory, Central Coast Mariners

Brisbane Roar vs Sydney FC
Sydney. Every time I think Sydney will trip up, they don’t. So I’ll tip them here, and be braced for the worst.

Wellington Phoenix vs Western Sydney Wanderers
Wellington. I always find it very hard to tip against Wellington when they’re playing in NZ. So I won’t.

Melbourne Victory vs Melbourne City
Victory. City will react to their loss to Newcastle last week, but I’m still not convinced they’re that good all up. The Victory will be smarting from the Big Blue loss and they’ll take it out on their cross-town rivals.

Perth Glory vs Newcastle Jets
Perth. Newcastle are proving to be made of pretty stern stuff, while Perth’s struggles seem confined to playing against Central Coast. They’ll be too strong for the Jets at home.

Central Coast Mariners vs Adelaide United
Central Coast. Confidence will be running high for the Mariners, so much so that I’m tipping them for what could be the first time this season.

Janek Speight

Draw, Wellington Phoenix, Melbourne Victory, Draw, Adelaide United

Brisbane Roar vs Sydney FC
Draw. Hard to go past Sydney here after they furthered their ‘Invincibles’ credentials against the Victory, but I think Brisbane can get a draw out of this one.

Wellington Phoenix vs Western Sydney Wanderers
Wellington. I’m backing Wellington to grab three points at home to climb back into the top six.

Melbourne Victory vs Melbourne City
Victory. With two losses from winning positions in their last two games, the Victory need a reaction. The derby is the best place to show they’re at least the second best team in the league.

Perth Glory vs Newcastle Jets
Draw. Newcastle worked their socks off against City to claim a win in Coffs. Another away trip follows but they can claim a draw on the west coast.

Central Coast Mariners vs Adelaide United
Adelaide. This battle of the cellar-dwellers could be crucial to the end-of-season wooden spoon race. I’m tipping Adelaide to lift themselves back off the bottom.

Vas Venkatramani

Sydney FC, Draw, Melbourne City, Perth Glory, Central Coast Mariners

Brisbane Roar vs Sydney FC
Sydney. The runaway leaders travel north for one of their tougher challenges – the Roar are fresh from smashing six past Filipino outfit Global. Yet even with a midweek trip to Shanghai looming, the Roar can’t afford to field anything but their best side against Graham Arnold’s unbeaten outfit.

Wellington Phoenix vs Western Sydney Wanderers
Draw. Journeys on the road have become a comfortable notion for the Wanderers, given their plight at Homebush. Yet a trip across the Tasman is never an easy prospect, especially as the Phoenix have begun to turn around their early season struggles with some recent positive results. The Wanderers are struggling, but may be able to sneak a point if they play for it from the outset.

Melbourne Victory vs Melbourne City
City. The fourth Melbourne derby this season comes as the navy blue of the Victory battle to hold onto second spot – with three straight losses making them a distant 11 points off Sydney FC. City’s form is only slightly more encouraging, with wins regularly followed up with dropped points in recent weeks. While the Victory still enjoy a five-point buffer ahead of Brisbane in the ladder, their form makes for a concerning prospect.

Perth Glory vs Newcastle Jets
Perth. A stirring win at home against Melbourne City is an adequate tonic for the Jets ahead of their trip west. Perth’s season has been a tale of consistent ups and downs, with momentum hard to come by. At home, Perth can be rightly fancied, yet little confidence can be shown on which Glory side will turn up.

Central Coast Mariners vs Adelaide United
Mariners. In a battle of the league’s bottom two, little can be gleaned to separate the fortunes of either side. While Adelaide’s season is not the disaster it previously looked, little can console the defending champions’ campaign unless they can lift themselves off the bottom with a win in Gosford. The Mariners come off a strong last start win against the Glory, and at home once again, can be considered favourites, albeit slightly.

Daniel Jeffrey

Sydney FC, Wellington Phoenix, Melbourne Victory, Perth Glory, Central Coast Mariners

Brisbane Roar vs Sydney FC
Sydney. I tried tipping against the Sky Blues last week, and that went dreadfully. The Roar might be playing well in recent times, but I’ll take Sydney in this one.

Wellington Phoenix vs Western Sydney Wanderers
Wellington. These are two sides who’ve been hard to gauge this season, but Wellington have had more positive than negative signs in recent weeks. With the Wanderers a long way from home (which admittedly hasn’t been a bad thing for them this year), I’ll take the Phoenix.

Melbourne Victory vs Melbourne City
Victory. City seem incapable of stringing two good performances together these days, and coming off a loss to Newcastle, there’s no way I can tip them against their cross-town rivals. Despite the Victory’s recent wobbles, they should take the points here.

Perth Glory vs Newcastle Jets
Perth. Knowing Perth’s form, this is a bit of a stab in the dark. But at home they’ll be desperate to show last week’s shock loss to the Mariners was just a momentary slip-up, and at home against Newcastle provides a good opportunity to prove just that.

Central Coast Mariners vs Adelaide United
Mariners. In the battle of the cellar-dwellers, I’ll take the Mariners purely because of their last-round win against the Glory. How much that counts for with a “home” game in Canberra, though, I’m not too sure.