Texi Smith did the business in Round 11 with five correct selections to move ever closer to the ladder-leading voice of the crowd.

Another tricky round begins on Friday night when the Bulls and Mariners do battle in Sydney before an original rivalry headlines Saturday night and the Sky Blues head west to tackle the Glory in their new fortress. First and third on the ladder meet when the Wanderers host City on Sunday afternoon, before two teams in desperate need of a win meet in the twilight when Western United face Newcastle at AAMI Park.

Good luck with your tips for the round and be sure to enter them in the sheet below to help the crowd stay clear of the charging experts.

Here’s the way the panel sees all the Round 12 action unfolding.

Mike Tuckerman

Macarthur, draw, draw, Sydney, City, draw

Macarthur have won three of their last five games since the World Cup break, even if they haven’t always been the most convincing of outfits. They huffed and puffed in their 2-0 win over Newcastle last week, but the Bulls always look like they’ve got another gear to step into. The Mariners are in an even better run of form, bagging four victories since the league resumed. However, they’re not always the best travellers, and I reckon the Bulls have got the wood over them slightly. I’m backing Dwight Yorke’s team to win.

Brisbane Roar endured yet another frustrating defeat in their midweek 2-1 loss to Perth Glory, and they’ll miss the inspirational Jay O’Shea through suspension here. Goals are a real problem for Warren Moon’s side, while question marks remain over their goalkeeping situation. Wellington Phoenix bagged three points and two red cards in their ridiculous 1-0 win over Sydney FC last time out. They’ll be undermanned for this trip to Redcliffe, and both teams will do well to get on the scoresheet.

Adelaide United can heap more misery on their most bitter rivals in a clash the Reds always fire up for. They’ll have to overcome a dreadful run of form though, with the Reds absolutely smashed by the Central Coast Mariners last time out. They’ve won only one of their last five games, but the good news for Carl Veart is Melbourne Victory are equally out of form. They were dismal in their most recent 1-0 loss to Brisbane Roar, and while they’re capable of nicking a result here, this one could finish all square.

Perth Glory go into this clash on the back of consecutive victories, and one-time Sydney FC man Ruben Zadkovich won’t fear the visit of the Sky Blues. It won’t have escaped his attention that his team was gifted their two goals in the 2-1 midweek win over Brisbane Roar, and they’ll do well to go toe to toe with the admittedly out-of-form visitors. Steve Corica is under real pressure to turn things around at his struggling side. Sydney FC’s quality might snag them a win in the west, but not through anything Corica does.

Western Sydney Wanderers looked like they’d turned a corner when they belted Macarthur FC 4-0 at home only to stumble away in Perth the following week. They’re yet to play Melbourne City in the league this season, and while the Wanderers boast plenty of quality, there’s no telling which version of Marko Rudan’s team will turn up. I actually suspect Melbourne City are due for a loss. However, they certainly didn’t look like it in their 4-0 dismantling of Western United, and you have to tip Rado Vidosic’s team on form.

Leo Lacroix must have walked under a ladder to run over a black cat while breaking a mirror, so out of form is the Swiss defender. At some point John Aloisi surely needs to give the centre back a spell, but if he plays here, then the Jets will fancy their chances of getting on the scoresheet. Both of these sides have flattered to deceive all season, with Western United turning in a dismal title defence so far. The Jets just cannot seem to score goals when they need to, and the two sides could cancel each other out.

(Photo by Scott Gardiner/Getty Images)

Stuart Thomas

Central Coast, Wellington, Adelaide, Perth, City, Newcastle

Macarthur have snuck up to fourth on the ladder, with manager Dwight Yorke waxing lyrical about his best player and starting to revel in the role. The Mariners are simply wonderful to watch, and with both teams off wins last weekend, this stands to be the pick of the matches. The Mariners look like the second-best team in the league to me, and they could just shade the Bulls.

Wellington on the road is always a difficult thing to believe in, yet the trip to Sydney in Round 11 was successfully navigated. Can they do it again? Well yes, they can, but will Brisbane respond after two matches in a few short days and a disappointing result against the Glory? The Phoenix by a single goal.

What should have been an eagerly anticipated original rivalry match between the Reds and Victory lacks its usual zing. The Reds are out of form and the Victory close to implosion. Who wins? Some will say: who cares? I’ve lost faith in Popovic’s men. Adelaide will win.

Good luck to the unimpressive Sydney FC on their journey to Macedonia Park. Astonishingly, Glory could move inside the six with a win and are loving their new stadium. Frankly, Sydney have looked terrible for most of the season, and if Mustafa Amini can get his men up for a third match in eight days, purple should top blue.

I think Western Sydney will play well against City on Sunday yet will not win the match. The visitors are simply too consistent and the Wanderers still developing under Marko Rudan. City by two clear goals and the Jamie Maclaren run to continue.

It’s getting close to must-win time for both Western United and Newcastle Jets should any hopes of a top-four finish still be harboured. It appeared United were building towards something before being belted by City last time out and the Jets had little luck against Macarthur in Sydney. Based on form, the away team looks to be in a better place. Jets by a goal.

(Photo by Steve Christo/Corbis via Getty Images)

Blayne Treadgold

Draw, Brisbane, draw, Perth, City, draw

Two of the form teams of the competition at the moment are Macarthur and Central Coast, each with only one loss in their last five. It’s a tough one to pick. Draw.

Brisbane versus Wellington is another tough one with only a point between them on the ladder. Wellington will be buoyed by last week’s win, but two away games on the roll may be a stretch too far, especially with current suspensions. Brisbane in a tight one.

It’s now or never for the Melbourne Victory with only one win in their last five. They’ll be good enough for only a draw in the original rivalry.

Perth’s home form rolls on at Macedonia Park, which has become something of a fortress. The inclusion of Adam Taggart will provide a much-needed focal point. Perth to do it again at home – just.

The Wanderers come off a disappointing loss against Perth but only a fool would tip against City at the moment. Melbourne City for the away win in an intriguing contest that could tell us a lot about the Wanderers’ chances later in the year.

In the battle of the cellar dwellers, the frustrated Western United and Newcastle Jets will remain where they are with a draw.

(Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)

Andrew Prentice

Central Coast, draw, Adelaide, Sydney, City, United

Two teams bang in form, both with three wins out of four – and that’s form in this crazy league. The Bulls have looked solid at home and dispensed with a toothless Jets attack easily last week. The Mariners are the entertainers and top scorers in the league and will be harder to keep out than the grounded Jets attack was.

Beaten for only the second time this season in Perth midweek, the Roar continue to slyly enter the nightclub by the side door, not drawing attention to themselves, while everyone else wears paisley and drinks fluoro cocktails. They were unlucky against Perth but will have to do without Jay O’Shea against the Phoenix after the talented Irish midfielder was red-carded against Perth, no-one having noticed his first-half yellow. The Phoenix hung on against Sydney in one of the more extraordinary A-League finishes. Wellington will take the game to Brisbane, who will continue to hit on the break, with Carlo Armiento lurking as an attacking danger.

Two teams whose form has gone over the cliff. Victory have scored nine goals all season and haven’t scored this year. The Reds have won only once since the league resumed. Last time these two met, Adelaide won comfortably. It’s hard to see them doing it quite that easily, but Victory are dire at the moment and it’s hard to see where the next win is coming from.

Given Sydney win every second game (about) and lost last week and given Perth surely can’t keep winning at Macedonia Park forever, I’m dispensing with any form analysis and just going with that, because frankly the form of these two teams is baffling. Mind you, I’m sure Ruben Zadkovich would love to put one over his former employers. Sydney will have Joe Lolley back, and coach Steve Corica will welcome that. The big question is: will Alfie still be on pens?

City are threatening to make the premiers plate race a foregone conclusion. The Wanderers came unstuck way out west but their last home performance was a handy thumping of Macarthur. Right now City seem to have too many attacking options for even the resolute Wanderers defence. Marko Rudan needs to figure out what no-one else has this season: how to stop Jamie MacLaren.

With United’s season resurgence coming to a shuddering halt last week and the Jets looking increasingly unlikely to find the back of the net, this game presents limited promise and lots of puzzlement. The Jets last scored a goal on 11 December – their only goal in the last five was an ‘oggie’ in Adelaide. Western United were returning to that stingy defensive set-up of their championship season before Melbourne City washed that away like a kid’s sandcastle in a storm tide. It would seem John Aloisi’s men may only have to score once to secure this one.

(Photo by Masanori Udagawa/Getty Images)

Texi Smith

Macarthur, Brisbane, Victory, Sydney, City, United

Friday night at Campbelltown Stadium should give us a blockbuster start to a great weekend of A-League action. The home team dispatched Newcastle Jets last week despite making it hard for themselves, whereas the Mariners blew away Adelaide after they were reduced to ten men. The visitors will be looking for a performance like they had at Commbank Stadium earlier in the year, and now they are free of the selection headache of Garang Kuol, they can concentrate on their high-tempo style. Macarthur are a collection of talent who play a little bit like their manager – efficient in energy output and full of skill – but on Friday we will see them turn the screw and really play some football. Ulises Davila to orchestrate a marvellous win for Macarthur and vintage Daniel Arzani to score two in a comprehensive victory against a subdued Mariners.

Brisbane Roar can count themselves unlucky to have lost midweek, and that will leave them without Jay O’Shea for this home game against Wellington Phoenix. The visitors scored a massive win last week at Allianz Stadium as Sydney FC let them off the hook, and they will have suspensions to deal with coming into this one. Yan Sasse and Steven Ugarkovic will be brought in and will be big players for the Phoenix in a great first half that sees four goals traded at the break. But it will be the introduction of Jez Lofthouse that alters the game midway through the second half, and the young star will tee up Nikola Mileusnic to score the winning goal with five minutes to go for another big Roar victory.

Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory go into what is historically a grudge match with the form book out of the window. Adelaide were cruelly ripped apart after going down to ten men last weekend; up until then they were unlucky to be behind to an own goal. Victory are in disarray, but with Nani out, they will at least have to resort to plan B. The home team will be backed by a raucous crowd; they will be firing on all cylinders. The crowd will become restless in the second half as Adelaide run out of ideas, opening the door for Nishan Velupillay to come off the bench and connect to a Nick D’Agostino through ball with his first touch to steal the points for the visitors. What a tonic for Victory in their darkest hour.

Perth Glory rode their luck to get the points against Brisbane midweek, while Sydney FC were back to their horrible worst in a one-star performance in front of their disbelieving fans last weekend. It’s the unpredictability of the A-League that really gives it the edge as the best league in the world. With the game heading for a tepid draw, the nucleus of next season’s rise to the top of the A-League will combine to find a winner, Anthony Caceres slipping through a ball for Paddy Wood to pull the ball back from the by-line and into the path of Max Burgess, who will thump home a winner from close range. Steve Corica will give a little air punch to himself, safe that he has again dodged the inevitable bullet.

Sunday afternoon at Commbank Stadium should be a cracker with form team Melbourne City in town. They were dominant against rivals Western United last week, while Western Sydney Wanderers were meek in their loss to Perth Glory. Marko Rudan will be keen to put things right and will have his players running hard to gain and maintain possession in a first half of hard work and commitment. Wanderers will take the lead just after the break before the visitors respond with the class they possess, eventually claiming the three points late. A great advert for the A-League and a pulsating game.

Western United were back down to earth with a bump on the weekend and Newcastle Jets were beaten at Macarthur. Oddly enough, neither team played that badly but were victims of some terrible luck. Newcastle’s early-season promise has waned, which is seeing them hover just above Western United within striking distance of the wooden spoon. When the Jets take the lead here early on, it will be justified, Reno Piscopo with a low shot that deceives Jamie Young, but from then onwards it will be a one-sided affair, with Ben Garrucio slotting home the equaliser and Dylan Pierias putting them in the lead within ten minutes of the restart. A final goal will seal it, Alessandro Diamanti with a stunning strike from 30 yards, as the home team banish memories of last week and ease their way up the table.