After the most disappointing week I can recall in the history of the A-League, Round 9 will begin this Friday night when Brisbane Roar host the Wanderers at the newly named Kayo Stadium in Redcliffe.

Tipping-wise, things were a lot better for both the panel and the crowd in Round 8, with yours truly a valiant second to the improving voice of the crowd that snared four correct tips. Wellington will be looking to entrench itself in the top six with a win over the Glory late Friday, the Sky Blues face Macarthur FC in a crucial Christmas Eve clash and AAMI Park will host Western United and Melbourne Victory on Boxing Day.

Just 24 hours later, City and Central Coast do battle at the same venue in what looks like a juicy affair, and later that evening the Reds host the Jets in Adelaide.

Good luck with your tips for the round and be sure to enter them in the sheet below to have a say in the ladder-leading voice of the crowd.

Here is the way the panel sees all the Round 9 action playing out.

(Photo by Steve Christo/Corbis via Getty Images)

Mike Tuckerman

Draw, Perth, Sydney, Draw, City, Adelaide.

Neither Brisbane nor Western Sydney look cutting-edge in attack, particularly now that Charlie Austin has departed. They could cancel each other out in front of a small crowd in Redcliffe.

Macedonia Park could be a bit of a secret weapon for Perth Glory, particularly against sides that don’t travel well. The Phoenix were impressive last weekend, but I’m tipping the home side to collect all three points from the latest distance derby.

The Sky Blues will be desperate to put last weekend’s disappointing defeat behind them. The Bulls have also gone off the boil despite a narrow victory in Round 8, and this could be a scrappy affair at Allianz Stadium. I suspect the home side might just nick it.

Will anyone turn up to Western United versus Melbourne Victory? That’s probably the better question than who wins. I have a feeling this one ends all square between two Melbourne sides that arguably have bigger things to worry about.

Melbourne City were all over Melbourne Victory until the derby was brought to that premature conclusion, and they should have too much firepower for the Mariners at home, particularly with Rado Vidosic looking to make his mark as interim coach.

Adelaide are always tough to beat at Coopers Stadium, and they’ll hope their former Jets winger Craig Goodwin is fit enough to feature here. Newcastle have been in patchy form throughout the campaign, and there’s no telling which version of the Novocastrians turns up. But it’s hard to see how the Reds don’t end up with all three points in front of their passionate home fans.

(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

Stuart Thomas

Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, United, City, Adelaide

Brisbane Roar rarely win, but they rarely lose. Western Sydney were poor last week and the planets seem to be aligning for a third Roar win. Yes, folks, I’m picking them, despite the departure of one of their key off-season signings.

Perth are far better than many predicted and Wellington continue to accumulate points. This is a tough one to call, and the Glory might just surprise the travelling Phoenix for their third win of the season.

Getting a read on Sydney FC is proving difficult and Macarthur have looked solid without being brilliant. Allianz Stadium and a decent Christmas crowd could prove the difference in this one.

Playing a fixture at AAMI Park after the events of just a week ago feels a little eerie, but hopefully United and Victory can muster up a decent crowd and jettison some of the unsavouriness of Round 8. With growing confidence in John Aloisi’s squad after the points earned last time out and with Victory no doubt distracted, Western could well take all three in a surprise win.

Melbourne City and Central Coast looks like a potential game of the round and City should get the points at home. However, a win for the Mariners would throw the top six into chaos early in the season. I’ll be cheering for that to happen yet still see a City win on home soil.

Adelaide will go in as favourites against the Jets and should get the chocolates in the late Tuesday game, with the early season form of the Reds far superior to that of the visitors.

(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Blayne Treadgold

Western Sydney, Perth, draw, United, City, Adelaide

Brisbane are back at home and will be buoyed by last week’s result, but the Wanderers will see this as an opportunity to capitalise as the Roar get used to life without Charlie Austin. Wanderers 2-0.

Perth are showing some really good signs following the World Cup break. Wellington aren’t going to be easy, but the longest trek in Australian football may prove a battle for Wellington’s new boys. Glory to win at home 2-1.

Macarthur are coming off a win last week in what could be described as a yo-yo season. For Sydney FC it could be a season-defining match. Points shared in this one 1-1

Western United scored only their second win of the season last week and will look to climb the table with Aleksandar Prijovic starting to find some form. For Melbourne Victory it will all come down to how well Tony Popovic can get them going after a mentally draining week. Western United to score a cheeky 1-0 win.

It is a big challenge for Central Coast to see if they can match up with the league leaders away from home. A win here for City with other results going their way could see them create a gap at the top. Melbourne City in a tight contest 2-1.

In perhaps one of the easier games to pick, Adelaide will return to Coopers looking to give their home crowd a bit of Christmas cheer. The side previously known as the Box Office Jets are looking more like a Hollywood flop. Adelaide to win this 3-1

(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

Andrew Prentice

Brisbane, Wellington, Sydney, United, Draw, Adelaide

Not one of last week’s winners were victorious in the previous round. That’s how hard it is to predict this competition. So it seems totally ridiculous that my first tip is a winner from the last round. But I keep writing the Roar off and they keep proving me wrong, so in the post-Charlie Austin era they might just have enough for a shot-shy Wanderers (though neither attack is exactly convincing).

The Phoenix were brilliant last week, the Glory were not. Based on that alone, the distance derby would seem to be tilted in the New Zealanders’ favour. Logic would dictate that an attack being orchestrated by the sparkling Bozhidar Kraev would be too much for an overworked Perth defence. As we’ve seen lately though, this is not a logical league.

The Sky Blues copped a rampant Mariners last week and had to cope with Garang Kuol’s first professional start. This week they face another wunderkind in Daniel Arzani, who is hoping his career trajectory can right itself and become more Kuol-like (or even Arzani-like circa 2018).

Macarthur got past an unconvincing Glory last week, and they’re catching Sydney in what might be their up-swing week. Adam La Fondre is fit again too.

At the time of writing there is no certainty that the Western United versus Melbourne Victory game will go ahead, and if so, whether there will be any fans. Surely Victory have more things on their minds after the past week.

Ordinarily this would look like a comfortable City pick. But the Mariners have found form and Melbourne lost to Sydney FC in the first week back from the World Cup break. One wonders whether last week’s debacle has had a negative effect on the playing group – they will almost certainly be without first-choice keeper Tom Glover. Garang Kuol’s last A-League game might be his personal theatre before heading to the EPL.

Such is the tightness of the league, what is fourth versus tenth could easily have been third versus fourth had Newcastle got up in last night’s F3 derby. Adelaide were off-colour (both in shirts and form) in Wellington, but at Hindmarsh they are a different beast. The Jets may struggle to back up.

(Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)

Texi Smith

Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Victory, City, Adelaide

The Brisbane Roar win at Newcastle was a typical A-League result and out of nowhere in the immediate form book, but looking at the fixture over time, it should have come as no surprise. Without their fan favourite Charlie Austin, whose departure coincided mysteriously with a horror week for the league, the Roar will be out of their shackles looking to build on that incredible victory. The Wanderers are missing the key ingredient of an out-and-out goalscoring centre forward and as a result keep getting the odd duff result despite offering enough to win the game. Jay O’Shea will score a magnificent free kick and Wanderers will lay siege until Cyrus Dehmie beats three players and scores a magical solo goal in the final minute to seal the points.

Perth Glory are at their new fortress Macedonia. The distance derby takes on a further twist, with the visitors having to head into the suburbs. Phoenix were superb in their win over Adelaide last week, but stepping out of their Wellington bubble they will again find the going tough. Kosta Barbarouses will score, but Perth will already be two up through Mustafa Amini and Ryan Williams. Glory are looking good, with Wellington not at the races ahead of their long journey home for Christmas.

With the Sydney FC women taking centre stage in the real Sydney derby beforehand, the visit of Macarthur will be a subscript to the main event at Allianz Stadium. The festive mood will see fans concentrating not really on the game but on having a good time, the Cove a colourful mess of limbs all enjoying an extended sing-song. Sydney FC should have demolished the slow-moving Mariners last weekend but failed to capitalise on their lead in their first half-hour of total dominance. The sloppy goals conceded and the lack of cutting edge in the second half of that game is worrying, but we should see a reaction in this Christmas Eve fixture. Macarthur have the personnel to really hurt teams. Daniel Arzani and Ulises Davila are very dangerous when they’re switched on. If Max Burgess isn’t ruled out with concussion after last week, Sydney FC will cruise in this one, making it a happy Christmas for everyone at the club, with a lot of hope going into the new year.

Melbourne Victory playing at their home ground as the away team on a public holiday in the evening after a whole day of over-indulgence. Nothing could go wrong here. This will be a brilliant game, and the fans will be out in force, many just hoping to see a car crash. Instead they will see the might and power of Melbourne Victory’s attack, as Josh Brillante pulls the strings and Chris Ikonomidis and Nick D’Agostino run riot.

The Mariners will be cut to ribbons by the sharp Melbourne City attack if they don’t come out with attacking intent of their own. All credit to the Central Coast though – they have exciting players throughout the squad and they will match it with their illustrious opponents for large parts of this game. Garang Kuol’s final game with the Central Coast will be an industrious performance, and he will be involved at both ends of the field. The direct and ruthless City attack will eventually shine through, Mathew Leckie getting lucky with a deflected goal from distance before Jamie Maclaren scores a double.

Adelaide United at home to Newcastle is an absolute locked-in home banker. Put your house on it. Despite Ben Halloran’s suspension and the good form of the Double Bekas, Nestory Irankunda’s elevation to the starting line-up on a Christmassy Tuesday night at Coopers Stadium in front of an excited crowd will make this a festive feast of football. Finally we’ll see Hiroshi Ibusuki get the goals he has deserved, and Craig Goodwin will be a virtual bystander as his teammates rip the Jets to shreds. The Jets’ reluctance to start the game on the front foot will put them further and further back into their shell, and the resulting 6-0 win for Adelaide will be fully justified. See you at the TAB to collect your winnings.