Opinion
After a far more productive week of tipping by the panel and crowd, A-League Men moves on to Match Week 17, with Melbourne City and Perth Glory in for busy weeks and two games in five days.
Elsewhere, Melbourne Victory and Macarthur FC meet in an intriguing Friday night fixture with top-six ramifications, Western United and Newcastle do precisely the same thing, and the Wanderers and Sky Blues face off in a Sydney Derby that could be catastrophic for the loser.
Good luck with your tips for the round and be sure to enter them in the sheet below to have a say in the improving voice of the crowd.
Mike Tuckerman
City, Victory, United, Brisbane, Western Sydney, City, Perth
City will take plenty from their 2-1 win over Sydney FC. They haven’t always looked like defending champs, but with Mat Leckie finding form and the likes of Carl Jenkinson and potentially Tsubasa Endo proving shrewd recruits, you’d have to think they’ll have too much firepower for a Perth side slogging through the last of their long road-trip.
The two coaches know each other well, but they each go into this clash on the back of some patchy form. It’s the Bulls who’ve had the better of proceedings lately, but Victory’s last-gasp 1-0 win over the Mariners will have put a bit more fuel in the tank. They’ve lost twice and drawn once at AAMI Park so far, but should see off Macarthur.
‘1-0 to the Western United?’ It’s not the catchiest of chants but it’s hard to argue John Aloisi’s side haven’t been effective. The Melbourne side are particularly tough to beat at home and while the Jets are undoubtedly one of the most entertaining sides in the league, there are doubts over their defence. Chalk up another win to the nominal hosts.
Alessandro Diamanti of Western United (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
Central Coast are the answer to the question of who has impressed this season without managing to win many games. The Mariners have a few game-breakers in their midst, Jason Cummings among them, but Brisbane Roar are the most unpredictable team in the league. The visitors may be rocks and diamonds, but I’m tipping they’ll shine in Gosford.
Me? Tipping the Wanderers to win the derby? You read it here first! Mark Rudan and Steve Corica both played for Sydney FC during the A-League’s inaugural campaign and both are arguably playing for their coaching futures here. But I reckon it’s Rudes who’s got a few tricks up his sleeve as he looks to restore some faith in his rebuilding side.
I’m a big fan of Ufuk Talay. He’s been one of the most underrated Australian coaches for eons and he’s worked wonders at a Wellington Phoenix side who are always up against it. Incredibly, you have to go back to New Year’s Day to find Wellington’s last defeat! Not for much longer, though, as I suspect City will knock them off in Leichhardt.
It’s been a long time coming for Perth Glory fans, but after packing out HBF Park for the reverse fixture, the Western Australians haven’t played at home since. Is Richard Garcia on thin ice over in the west? A 2-0 win over Brisbane Roar brought him some respite and with plenty of emotion in this one, it’s hard to bet against the home team.
Simon Hill
City, Victory, United, Draw, Draw, City, Perth
Stuart Thomas
City, Victory, United, Central Coast, Sydney, City, Adelaide
Perth have been handed a tough task with four matches in 16 days, especially considering how frequently they have been out of action this season. City appear to be starting to build into form quite nicely and despite letting points slip more often than they would have liked, should manage the Glory easily at home.
Victory and Macarthur at AAMI Park on Friday is a juicy encounter. Tony Popovic’s men have wobbled recently and Macarthur cling to third. Home ground is the only thing swinging it Victory’s way.
Who knows which Jets side will turn up against Western United on planet Mars this Saturday. Should the free-flowing and threatening one do so, United had best have their sturdy defence on watch. It is hard to know or predict. Logic says United based on recent form.
When Central Coast Mariners and Brisbane Roar meet in the Saturday twilight, the loser will sit at the foot of the table. A draw does little for both and after all the challenges faced by Central Coast over the last few weeks, a rest will have served them well. I am seeing a tidy win for a Mariners team that has performed far better this season than their ladder position suggests.
The Sydney Derby may or may not go ahead, with the weather still lashing the city and CommBank Stadium not coping well with the conditions. Sydney simply must win this fixture and frankly, as must the Wanderers, with the bottom rung of the ladder looming ever more ominous. Sydney will win thanks to the better form they have been showing in front of goal.
Wellington are back in action against Melbourne City on Sunday and tackle City on a short turnaround; a good time to face them. The Phoenix have lost just once in the league this calendar year, yet I fear this will be their second, as City stamp some real authority on the competition. Perth may battle physically against the Reds on Sunday afternoon, yet this is the homecomings of all homecomings and that could inspire Richard Garcia’s men to a surprise win. I can’t quite see it and Adelaide look to be simply in far too good a vein of form to drop points in this one.
Texi Smith
City, Victory, United, Central Coast, Sydney, City, Perth
Melbourne City stole the three points at Kogarah last time out, Perth have already lost 1-0 against them this season and they’re on a wretched run. If this isn’t a home win for the pretend Sky Blues, then it will be thanks to some magic from Bruno Fornaroli and Daniel Stynes. However, that’s not going to happen here and the reigning premiers and champions will cruise to 2-0 win without getting out of second gear.
A Friday night special at AAMI Park. Lachie Rose is due a goal and he’ll be a serial pest all night as the Bulls try to reassert their early season dominance. This Victory team though is in need of a win after a blank weekend, a fortuitous three-point haul against the Mariners and a shocker at the Wanderers.
The home crowd will be grumbling early as Macarthur boss the opening half an hour, but a piece of Jake Brimmer magic will give Victory a platform to flex their muscles in a one-sided second half; two more goals giving last year’s wooden spooners a big win.
Another home game at a faraway stadium for Western United, this time the Jets making the journey to Ballarat. The home team have been excellent of late, happy to take on anyone at any venue. Aleksandar Prijovic looks the goods and has a touch of Zlatan about him, while Newcastle themselves boast a quality import in Beka Mikeltadze. The Jets’ chances of success depend on which way the wind is blowing for enigmatic Olivier Boumale and if Daniel Penha brings his A-game. This unusual 3pm game will bring the unusual out of both teams and we’ll see Jets give a good account of themselves, but eventually succumb to a late Dylan Pierias strike that underlines his quality and keeps the momentum going for the league leaders.
It’s time for the Mariners fans to wipe away the tears after a dreadful week. Liam Miller’s miracle recovery from his assault in the penalty area against City didn’t help at Adelaide last time out, but his mere presence this season has been enough to inspire. The return to Central Coast Stadium after a few weeks away will see a good crowd cheer on their heroes against a Brisbane Roar team who just can’t get moving on the road. Jason Cummings has the world at his feet here and has Moresche on the sidelines wondering what he did wrong to lose his spot. With such competition for places in the Mariners team, expect big things from them and a three-goal victory.
The Sydney Derby at CommBank stadium might be a victim of the weather, if the excuse for the last postponement was valid; the rain in Sydney has left quite a squelch underfoot. If this does go ahead, the conditions will be perfect. Such a beautiful stadium under lights in the rain is the stuff of dreams, and with neither team showing any form whatsoever, this game could go anywhere. If Luciano Narsingh is anywhere near a debut, get him in. If Wanderers persist with Dimi Petratos and James Troisi, this could be a battering for them. This game will either be 1-0 to the home team or a cricket score to Sydney FC. I’m going for a big win for the Sky Blues; Milos Ninkovic with a hat-trick and Kosta Barbarouses with a goal that reminds us all that he’s still here.
How good are Sydney FC really? (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
The spiritual home of Wellington Phoenix, Leichhardt Oval, welcomes Melbourne City to see if they can repeat their Sydney raid from last weekend. It must be said that the yellow and blacks were outstanding against Sydney FC last time out and they will not be intimidated by the noteworthy attacking force they face today. However, Mathew Leckie is getting some sort of form back and telling the doubters where to stick it and he will be amongst the goals in a big win. Phoenix will be in the game for most of the 90 minutes, but a strong finish from the visitors gives the score a more realistic feel.
Perth Glory playing in Perth. No way. A great crowd for a Sunday afternoon classic will finally get to see some Stynes magic, as Western Australia’s best footballing Daniel puts on a show for the visiting Adelaide United. Brandon O’Neill’s wonder pass sets things off, Stynes shimmying past Joe Gauci with a Peter Beardsley shuffle and then he goes on to score three goals, all against the run of play as Adelaide press. This will be the ignition that Perth needs and Carl Veart will be upset at the number of chances his side wastes in an effort to beat veteran Liam Reddy in the Glory goal.
| Match Week 17 | Mike | Simon | Stuart | Texi | The Crowd |
| MCY vs PER | MCY | MCY | MCY | MCY | ? |
| MVC vs MAC | MVC | MVC | MVC | MVC | ? |
| WUN vs NEW | WUN | WUN | WUN | WUN | ? |
| CCM vs BRI | BRI | DRAW | CCM | CCM | ? |
| WSW vs SYD | WSW | DRAW | SYD | SYD | ? |
| WEL vs MCY | MCY | MCY | MCY | MCY | ? |
| PER vs ADL | PER | PER | ADL | PER | ? |
| Previous total | 27 | 24 | 26 | 33 | 25 |
| Last week | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 |
| New total | 29 | 28 | 31 | 36 | 30 |
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