The Roar's A-League Men tips and predictions: Round 4

The A-League took its tipping revenge in Round 3, with paltry returns for all and a series of results that most saw as unlikely.

Anyone anticipating a more run-of-the-mill week in Round 4 will be sadly disappointed, with the in-form Wanderers and Jets looking tough to call and the Central Coast versus Western United and Adelaide versus Perth fixtures sure to attract differing views and selections.

Toss in a potentially tight Sydney derby between Macarthur and Sydney FC and we have another challenging week for the panel. Good luck with your tips for the round and be sure to enter them in the sheet below to have a say as the ever-important and now leading voice of the crowd.

Here is the way the panel sees all the action unfolding in Round 4.

Mike Tuckerman

Newcastle, Brisbane, United, draw, Adelaide, City

I’ve pretty much thrown in the tipping towel already, but since you’re asking for my two cents, I reckon the Wanderers are still nowhere near top form, while the Jets look like one of the teams to beat. So I’ll have to back the visitors on form.

Brisbane Roar are due and they smashed Victory at the same venue not long ago. The visitors are without the suspended Josh Brillante, and while Nani looks arguably like the more effective marquee, it’ll be Charlie Austin who comes out on top in the Queensland sunshine.

I thought the Mariners might do big things this season. That may have been a huge mistake. It’s not like Western United have been particularly impressive so far, but they might jag a win on the road in Gosford.

The Bulls have ruffled a few feathers by labelling this a ‘Sydney derby,’ but don’t discount how badly Dwight Yorke will want to win against his former club. The Sky Blues’ tactics this season are pretty much to get the ball to Robert Mak and Joe Lolley and let them cut inside. Expect the two sides to cancel each other out in Campbelltown.

Adelaide United at a revamped Coopers Stadium against a Perth Glory side in disarray? Expect the Reds to put their bitter rivals to the sword, especially now that Hiroshi Ibusuki is free to start.

Melbourne City barely got out of second gear in their derby win last week and Paddy Kisnorbo’s side look like they’ve got plenty in reserve. It’s hard to see who will stop City at home this season, and while Ufuk Talay always puts out well-organised outfits, this one should be another three points in the bag for the hosts.

(Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

Stuart Thomas

Newcastle, Victory, United, Sydney, Adelaide, City

The Wanderers blew a chance to secure a third straight win while on their home deck and against a Roar team that had yet to fire. To Brisbane’s credit, they were better, yet Western Sydney disappointed me. For that reason it looks like the Jets in this one, and the Hunter will grow ever more excited about their impressive team.

Victory were never in the match against City last week. Things started poorly and then got a little worse with an unfortunate own goal. With ten men they played well during the second 45 minutes. They will bounce back, and Brisbane will need to improve on the football they produced against the Wanderers in Round 3.

Central Coast and Western United is a tough one to call, and despite the home-field advantage, the Mariners just don’t look like winners right now. United will finally get their season kick-started with a win.

Sydney FC impressed me last week despite the advantage of having an extra player after the ridiculous send-off of Hiroshi Ibusuki for Adelaide. They should beat Macarthur, who are yet to find their best form. Joe Lolley and Robert Mak are already looming as the buys of the season.

Adelaide showed plenty against the Sky Blues and should be too strong at home for a Perth team that deserved their win against the Mariners last week.

The Sunday twilight fixture between City and Wellington could be a walk in the park for the home side. Undefeated and certain to feature deep into the season, it is hard to see anything but more goals from a team that is the clear benchmark heading into the summer.

Blayne Treadgold

TBC

(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

Andrew Prentice

Draw, Victory, Central Coast, draw. Adelaide, City

The Wanderers’ path to redemption hit an unlikely roadblock in the form of the Roar last week. Now they welcome the Jets, who are aiming to keep their 100 per cent record intact. Newcastle scored three last week without Beka Mikeltadze, so even if he hasn’t recovered from injury, they have the firepower to trouble sides. If ever a Wanderers clean sheet seemed like a sure bet, it was last week, yet Brisbane probably should have won the game on chances created. I’m not sure the Wanderers will be quite as generous on Friday.

The Victory of Round 1 have disappeared, like a child from Stranger Things. That an abundance of attacking talent has failed to score in their last two games is a mystery. Nani’s post-game interview blamed everything except themselves, but I’d say Tony Popovic might have sheeted home some hard truths during the week. The Roar could have been two goals up in the first five minutes last week, but Charlie Austin is at least off the mark. The most entertaining thing about the Roar so far has been their half-time ‘analysis’. I get the idea there may be more swearing to come.

A match between 11th and 12th in Round 4 is not what many would have expected, but here are two teams desperate to kick-start their seasons. The Mariners were pretty ordinary last week against a Perth team who were happy to lie down and waste time. Samuel Silvera was a bright spot in the loss and Jason Cummings still looked threatening. Western got on the board with their draw against Macarthur but John Aloisi will want more from his attack if they are a chance of defending their title.

Here’s some intrigue: the guy who laid on the winning goal for the guy who scored it in the inaugural A-League grand final are up against each other as coaches. For all their attacking potential, Dwight Yorke’s side have still stuttered in front of goal for two of their three games. The Sky Blues, meanwhile, have scored seven in three yet have only one win to show for it. Patrick Wood looked dangerous when he came on for Adam Le Fondre in the first half of last week’s game. If the Englishman is injured and Wood starts, Sydney might lose less attacking impetus with the young guy than many might expect.

A win’s a win, but Perth’s method of victory last week can’t work forever. They seem to have a bit of a Bruno problem, and who knows how that might have played out over the past week. Adelaide did very well to get something out of last week after being victims of a send-off decision that had most thinking VAR now stands for ‘verify all reds’. Seriously, how could they have got that so wrong? Craig Goodwin’s back in form, and that isn’t good news for the Glory.

After last week’s tipping debacle, no-one is prepared to declare a certainty on anything. But it’s hard to go past City in this game. They’ve not looked too troubled in their first three matches and were in cruise control in the second half of last week’s derby against a ten-man Victory. The Phoenix got dive-bombed against the Jets last week, 2-0 down after 16 minutes. Here’s a stat: Jamie McLaren is the only City player to score so far this season. He has four of the six goals scored; the other two have been own goals. By that logic, if Phoenix can stop McLaren and not put any into their own net, they’re every chance.

Texi Smith

Newcastle, Victory, United, Sydney, Adelaide, City

The Wanderers were almost found out by a remarkably rejuvenated Brisbane Roar last week, and their run of home games doesn’t get any easier against a quality Newcastle team. The home team’s defence looked less formidable than it had done in the opening two games, and they will need to be at their best to keep the visitors’ fizzy forward line from popping. Newcastle in a tight one.

The return to Redcliffe is finally here. The Roar’s first away game last week demonstrated that they are ready to match it with the rest of the A-League and that the Suncorp experiment was a failure. A fired-up home team will be looking to pile on more pain for Victory, who were undone by City last week in the derby. This will not be a game for the faint-hearted, and with Leigh Broxham back to add grit to the midfield, the visitors will be ahead and out of sight by half-time.

A fascinating match-up at Central Coast Stadium on Saturday afternoon involves two teams who have started in complete contrast to expectations. Western United got off the mark last weekend, while the Mariners were deservedly beaten at home by perennial whipping boys Perth Glory. Mariners will find the going tough again, Dylan Wenzel-Halls providing the service and Lachie Wales the composure to have the visitors ahead midway through the second half. A flurry of activity from the Mariners bench will make for a thrilling finish, Beni N’Kololo shooting wide with the last kick of the game to leave the Coasties winless after three games.

Macarthur FC look silky right across the park, and in Lachie Rose and Daniel Arzani they have the X-factor that could be the difference. Sydney FC’s propensity to pass up winning positions when dominating games could well be a factor again, but Ivan Vujica and Matt Millar will have their hands full and the space will be exploited, as it was last season in the corresponding fixture. With Max Burgess finally trusted in the starting line-up, the Sydney attack will be unstoppable, and despite their defensive frailty, they will go on to record an outstanding away win with the youngsters providing the goals.

Perth Glory continue their roadshow with a fixture in Adelaide. Both teams recorded good results in their previous games, and Adelaide have been very competitive in their three fixtures so far. We will finally see a Hiroshi Ibusuki goal that stands, and the Spanish influence in a fluid midfield will give United the edge. Ryan Williams is looking the goods this season and will be a constant threat for Glory, but it will be Adelaide’s Nestory Irankunda who steals the show with a dazzling cameo appearance to seal the game for the home team.

Predictions of 8-0 and 6-0 have been thrown around in jest for this one. Steady on! City were easily the better side in the derby while Wellington were brushed aside by Newcastle’s stellar first-half performance. Do not write off the visitors, always good for a sensational result or two during the season to silence their doubters. No surprises today, but it won’t be the one-sided affair that many expected.