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Opinion
After another absurdly difficult round of tipping, the A-League Men competition enters the remainder of Match Week 4 with another serving of games of which the winners are far from predictable.
Sydney FC and Central Coast will both be desperate in Gosford, Adelaide will be seeking its first full set of points for the season against Melbourne Victory and Brisbane Roar have everything to play for against Western United on Saturday. Later that evening Macarthur FC will be seeking to extend their ladder lead, with the Wanderers looking to climb above them should the home side be able to snatch all three points.
It stands to be a brilliant weekend of action, and be sure to enter your match selections into the sheet below to have a say in the ever-important voice of the crowd. Texi Smith continues to hold sway in the tipping, and the less said about my Match Week 3 selections the better.
Here is the way the panel sees all the action unfolding this weekend.
Newcastle, United, draw, Western Sydney, draw
We’re only three games into the season and already the Newcastle Jets look streets ahead of where they were last year. They still gave up a couple of soft goals to Sydney FC last weekend, but with Valentino Yuel looking like he’ll be a real handful and Wellington remaining the unluckiest team in the league, it’s hard to tip against the Jets at home.
Apart from one disastrous campaign in Brisbane, John Aloisi always looked like he had the makings of a decent coach. His Western United side are clearly tough to break down, and that could prove a problem for a Roar side that looks a bit toothless in attack. This could be another grinding narrow victory for the home team in Geelong.
Adelaide United have an excellent recent record against Melbourne Victory, but you almost have to throw the form guide out the window with Tony Popovic now in charge of the visitors. Both sides will be missing key defenders through suspension, but the real question is whether they have the firepower to score goals. This could finish all square.
They couldn’t lose again, could they? Carl Robinson is on thin ice as Western Sydney Wanderers coach and it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that this is his final game in charge. The FFA Cup defeat to APIA Leichhardt was a new low, but I’m tipping his players to dig deep and really show something against a defensive-minded Macarthur FC.
Sydney FC looked like they were cruising against the Jets and probably should have still taken all three points in Kogarah last weekend. Yet the Sky Blues clearly have some issues, not least with Rhyan Grant now ruled out with COVID. The Mariners have turned in some spirited displays already and they’ll be up for this clash. I’m backing a draw.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Newcastle, United, draw, Western Sydney, Sydney
Newcastle have been threatening to get a win since the season started but haven’t quite been able to put together a full 90 minutes. I’m tipping that will change on Friday. Wellington were unlucky against the Wanderers, but I think the Jets will have the edge at home.
Western were very impressive structurally against City last week. Brisbane are having all sorts of problems with the travel, and I think they will have another fruitless trip to Victoria.
I can’t split the pair in the original rivalry. The Reds have become the draw specialists, and I reckon that will continue. Victory will have a point to prove after the wheels came off against Perth. They’ll be better at Coopers, but the crowd will do their bit to earn the Reds a point.
The latest derby of the (Sydney) west is a tough one to call. The Bulls are top of the shop, but Wanderers and Adelaide are the only other unbeaten teams in the competition. Wanderers will have gained confidence from the win over Wellington, even though it was a bit touch and go at times. Home win.
Sydney normally enjoy their trips to Gosford, and I think this is the game they need to kickstart their season. They’ve had a slow beginning, but the Sky Blues normally do. They are still a decent side, and this could be the game where they click.
(Photo by Will Russell/Getty Images)
Newcastle, United, Adelaide, Western Sydney, Central Coast
After another good performance against Sydney FC last weekend the Jets could well earn their first win of the season against what could be a lethargic Phoenix on Friday night. With FFA Cup action occupying the visitors midweek and Olivier Boumal and Beka Mikeltadze getting better as each week passes, I’m happy to hitch my wagon on the upset and a Newcastle win.
It is really difficult to pick Brisbane right now, with goals seemingly tough for them to come by and an in-form Western United certain to provide a tough test for them. With United in second and a chance to go top, John Aloisi will not be letting any points slip in this fixture on the team’s home deck in Geelong.
Picking against the undefeated Adelaide United could well be fraught with danger, even up against the previously undefeated Melbourne Victory. After a send-off last Sunday, Perth eventually destroyed Tony Popovic’s team, and that could well set them up for an explosive bounce back after their impressive opening two weeks of the season. However, the Reds at home are always a tricky proposition, and I will not be tipping against them here.
Somehow the Wanderers sit fourth on the ladder despite being nowhere near fifth gear, and Macarthur have done all they needed to do to climb to the top rung. It sets up an interesting battle for the bragging rights of Sydney and one that Western Sydney will win thanks to the absence of Ulises Davila for the visitors.
Central Coast have been far better than their ladder position suggests, and aside from some sparkling play in the first half against the Jets last Saturday Sydney FC have been far from their best. I truly believe the Mariners can win this one, with injuries and illness perhaps keeping the Sky Blues stuck on the lower rungs of the ladder for now.
Wellington, Brisbane, Adelaide, Western Sydney, Sydney
The untippable tipping week starts with Arthur Papas’s Jets hosting Ufuk Talay’s Phoenix on the back of a remarkable turnaround against Sydney FC last weekend. Their expectations will be high as they take on the Phoenix, although it must be said that the Wanderers’ smash and grab 2-0 win at WIN Stadium was totally against the run of play. Jets are due a win after these high-scoring draws, but they’ll have to wait as Phoenix outscore them in a thrilling 3-2 win.
Western United slew the champions on Saturday and will be brimming with confidence for their home encounter with winless Brisbane Roar. The visitors have not travelled well on their multi-leg Victorian adventure, but they at least showed some promise in the opening-day loss to City and were full of entertainment in the goalless draw with Adelaide. Alessandro Diamanti will be the man to watch, pulling the strings in attack as Western pile on the pressure on Warren Moon’s men. However, the day will belong to the Roar with their first three-point haul of the season, and Western will be given a lesson in taking chances.
As expected, Melbourne Victory’s flying start was an anomaly, and it will continue in this Saturday evening’s blood-and-thunder encounter at Coopers Stadium. The home team was unlucky not to get a win in Brisbane, and their exciting forward play will be richly rewarded as the visiting Victory retreat into their shell and are duly punished. Craig Goodwin will score a lovely free kick and Kusini Yengi will head home a second. Mohamed Toure will dance away for the third, and this fierce rivalry will be spiced up when punches are thrown and Victory are reduced to ten for the second game in a row.
The second game of a double-header at CommBank Stadium on Saturday night is set up to be a repeat of last season’s opening game of Macarthur’s history when they sneaked a 1-0 win. With this omen in mind with the midweek FFA Cup loss and Western Sydney’s inability to win in front of their own fans, this all points to another famous victory for the Bulls despite losing star man Ulises Davila. However, his absence might just be enough to get the home side over the line in what could be a spiteful affair.
Sydney FC will be sitting bottom coming into the Sunday evening fixture at Central Coast Stadium and will be up against a very tidy Mariners team smarting after their loss to Macarthur. If Sydney think they were going to get their first win of the season here, they will have to work for it. Cy Goddard will be a constant thorn, and Harry Van Der Saag, replacing out-of-form Rhyan Grant, who contracted COVID-19 during the week, will have his hands full with Moresche. It will end as a fortunate win for the Sky Blues and an unhappy end to yet another courageous performance from the home side.
| Match Week 4 | Mike | Simon | Stuart | Texi | The Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEW vs WEL | NEW | NEW | NEW | WEL | NEW |
| WUN vs BRI | WUN | WUN | WUN | BRI | WUN |
| ADL vs MVC | Draw | Draw | ADL | ADL | ADL |
| WSW vs MAC | WSW | WSW | WSW | WSW | MAC |
| CCM vs SYD | Draw | SYD | CCM | SYD | SYD |
| Last Week | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Total | 4 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 6 |