The Roar's A-League Men tips and predictions: Round 26 - the jostle for finals positions is on in earnest
Here is the way the Roar expert panel sees all the action unfolding across the final weekend of play prior to the semi-finals.
Melbourne Victory have stretched their A-League winning streak to five with Ola Toivonen steering them to a 2-0 defeat of Adelaide United.
Toivonen set up the first goal, scored by Kosta Barbarouses, and added one of his own in the 81st minute to cap the win on Saturday night at Marvel Stadiumn.
Barbarouses broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute after Terry Antonis fired in a ball which was headed by Toivonen.
Reds goalkeeper Paul Izzo managed to save the Swede’s shot but Barbarouses pounced on the rebound.
Antonis also had a hand in Toivonen’s goal, with his neat backheel flick picked up and smashed into the net.
Adelaide did well in the first half to contain the defending champions and particularly Japanese superstar Keisuke Honda.
They had the best chance of the opening stanza with a thumping header by Michael Marrone in the 15th minute hitting the crossbar.
Teen Apostolos Stamatelopoulos also looked a threat but lacked finishing polish.
Melbourne did well to recover from the early loss of defender Georg Neidermeier, who rolled his right ankle in a clash with Stamatelopoulos in the fourth minute.
The big German immediately limped from the field and had his ankle strapped and tried to play on before making his departure permanent in the ninth minute with James Troisi entering the fray.
Thomas Deng worked hard to cover the loss of his teammate and was one of Melbourne’s best.
It continued a run of bad luck for Niedermeier, who was forced off the field after an accidental punch to the head against Perth in round two and was concussed in round five in the Big Blue.
Home fans were upset midway through the first half when United’s Scott Galloway unintentionally handballed in the box, but referee Shaun Evans waved it away.
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) upheld the referee’s decision, denying Victory’s calls for a penalty.
© AAP
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Here is the way the Roar expert panel sees all the action unfolding across the final weekend of play prior to the semi-finals.
It was not too long ago that it was no guarantee that the best youth talents from South Australia would make their A-League debuts…
Even though St.Pauli ultimately lost a high-scoring affair, Jackson Irvine was a standout, as well as scoring a late goal.
Mathew Leckie played a pivotal part in Melbourne City claiming an 8-nil win; playing a role in several of his team's goals.
A 10-man Macarthur FC have scored twice in the final 10 minutes and goalkeeper Filip Kurto saved an added-time penalty to defeat Adelaide United…
Clubs have cited regulations claiming players who decline national team call-ups ought to be prevented from featuring at a domestic level.