Previous Meetings: Week 25 A-League Preview | Thebigtip

Last week my introduction mentioned that the derby would ‘undoubtedly split the season series.’ Therefore this introduction has no predictions. Everyone’s a winner that way.

 

Brisbane v Melbourne Heart

 

Date: Saturday 29^th January

Time: 5:30pm EDT

Location: Skilled Park

 

Betfair Odds

 

Brisbane: $1.50

Draw: $4.40

Heart: $8.00

 

Best value here - why not take advantage of Centrebet's offer?

 

Changes

 

Brisbane

 

In: Milan Susak (Returns from Suspension), Rocky Visconte, Chris Bush (Both promoted)
Out: Luke DeVere (Transferred to Gyeongnam FC)
Unavailable: Matt McKay (International Duty – 1 Week), Luke Brattan (Groin Injury – 1 Week)

 

Heart

 

In: Michael Marrone, Brendan Hamill, Jason Hoffman, Kliment Taseski, Dean Heffernan (All promoted)
Out: Adrian Zahra (Knee - TBC)
Unavailable: Nil

 

Key for Brisbane: Finding their new centre back. The departure of DeVere to Team Unpronounceable FC means there’s a gaping hole that needs to be filled alongside possibly the most underrated defender in the league – Matt Smith. None of the inclusions in this week’s squad even comes close to filling DeVere’s position with the same quality. It could mean a chink in the armour of Brisbane.

 

Key for Heart: Regrouping from the derby. After the first derby they were unlucky not to get all three points in Wellington (this at a time the streak was still running), while after the second meeting they beat Adelaide in Adelaide. Of course the aftermath to this derby is just slightly different – and some could argue it’s the Heart’s first real defining moment of their history. The response could make their season.

 

The X-Factor: James Meyer. In just 33 minutes of game time, Meyer’s scored three goals. Apparently there’s no truth to the rumour that Meyer will be cloned, which is disappointing. I wouldn’t mind seeing a goal every 11 minutes in a Brisbane game.

 

Tip: Brisbane (2-0)

 

Adelaide v Central Coast

 

Date: Saturday 29^th January

Time: 7:30pm EDT

Location: Hindmarsh Stadium

 

Betfair Odds

 

Adelaide: $2.12

Draw: $3.40

Central Coast: $3.80

 

Changes

 

Adelaide

 

In: Lucas Pantelis (Promoted), Dario Bodrusic, Osama Malik (Both new signings)
Out: Nil
Unavailable: Daniel Mullen (Knee – Season), Joe Costa (Knee – Season), Joe Keenan (Leg – Season), Fabian Barbiero (Ankle – Season), Andy Slory (Thigh – 1 Week)

 

Central Coast

 

In: Josh Rose (Returns from Illness), Michael Baird, Chris Doig (Both promoted)
Out: Nil
Unavailable: Brad Porter (Knee – 6 Weeks), Nik Mrdja (Knee – 6 Weeks), Jess Vanstrattan (Knee - Season)

 

Key for Adelaide: Figuring out the reason for their poor results against the Mariners this season. Admittedly their loss in the second meeting at Bluetongue came at the worst point of their season, so that’s a fair excuse, but – at no point did they look like scoring in that game. Add that to their sucker punch in the first meeting right on the stroke of half time and finding the key to unlock the Mariners defence will likely be their key for the match.

 

Key for Central Coast: Containing Flores. They’ve done it excellently so far, forcing the number 10 to be substituted in both meetings after having minimal influence. However, dealing with his potential impact at Hindmarsh is a completely different story. If the Mariners can quell Flores and then run play through their own number 10 they’ll be halfway home.

 

The X-Factor: How will last week’s matches affect this one? Adelaide are coming off the laugher against North Queensland, while the Mariners somehow staged an unlikely comeback to grab a point against Sydney. The contrasting nature of the two matches could lead to teams in a different mindset during the week, which often translates to the performance out on the pitch – for better or worse.

 

Tip: Adelaide (1-0)

 

Perth v Sydney

 

Date: Saturday 29^th January

Time: 9:45pm EDT

Location: NIB Stadium

 

Betfair Odds

 

Perth: $2.94

Draw: $3.30

Sydney: $2.58

 

Changes

 

Perth

 

In: Jacob Burns, Victor Sikora (Promoted), Robbie Fowler (Returns from Injury), Adriano Pellegrino (Returns from Suspension)
Out: Cameron Edwards
Unavailable: Jamie Harnwell (Suspended – 1 Game), Chris Coyne (Achilles – Season)

 

Sydney

 

In: Brendan Gan, Kofi Danning, Rhyan Grant (All Promoted), Dylan Mitchell (Gk)
Out: Liam Reddy (Suspended – 2 Matches)
Unavailable: Hayden Foxe (Groin – 2 Weeks), Mark Bridge (Stomach – 1 Week), Alex Brosque (Groin – 1 Week), Terry Antonis (Knee – 3 Weeks)

 

Key for Perth: The players playing for their spots next season. At this point of the campaign there’s nothing left for the team to strive for, so naturally the individuals will focus on making sure they’re assured a contract next season. Whether that is still in a major role (Fowler, Burns, etc) or just around at all (Sikora, Pellegrino, etc) the focus will most likely stray from the team just a little bit.

 

Key for Sydney: Continuing on with the methods that’s led to success against Perth this season. In the two meetings, Sydney haven’t conceded a goal and scored five themselves. Against a Perth side that’s all over the shop from week to week, another dose of same old, same old should be enough barring any major turnaround.

 

The X-Factor: Perth being able to avoid the wooden spoon with a win. Even though the Fury most likely aren’t going to pick up four points from their last two games, a win for the Glory will eliminate any slim possibility of finishing on the bottom of the ladder. Even though it might not be a big deal to the players, the coaching staff will be desperately pulling out all the stops to ensure Perth pick up points on the weekend.

 

Tip: Sydney (2-1)

 

Wellington v Newcastle

 

Date: Sunday 30^th January

Time: 3:00pm EDT

Location: Westpac Stadium

 

Betfair Odds

 

Wellington: $1.59

Draw: $3.45

Newcastle: $4.60

 

Changes

 

Wellington

 

In: Leo Bertos (Returning From Injury), Oscar Roberto Cornejo (Promoted)
Out: Nil
Unavailable: Paul Ifill (Leg – Five Weeks), Mark Paston (Gk, Knee – Season), Jade North (International Duty – 1 Week)

 

Newcastle

 

In: Mario Simic (Promoted From NYL), Sasho Petrovski, Kaz Patafta, Ali Abbas (All Return From Injury)
Out: Nil
Unavailable: Neil Young (Illness - Indefinite), Michael Bridges (Knee - 5 Weeks), Sean Rooney (Knee - Season), Ben Kantarovski (Knee - Season), (Groin - One Week), Brodie Mooy (Compartment Syndrome - Season), Adam D’Apuzzo (Ankle - One Week), Kasey Wehrman (Foot - 4 Weeks), Ruben Zadkovich (Knee - 2 Weeks), (Groin - 1 Week)

 

Key for Wellington: Simply put – winning. It’s a simple game sometimes. The benefits of winning are two-fold – it effectively eliminates Newcastle’s game in hand and also sees them jump into the top six at the completion of the weekend (barring an unexpected win by the Heart). The psychological advantage of jumping into the top six with just three games left is an understated yet immense gain.

 

Key for Newcastle: Simply put – not losing. With the way their season has been trending – take out the wins against the Fury and the Jets have lost five in a row – anything will be a bonus at this point. With a short turnaround before their mid-week game, an unlikely point to build momentum could end up being the difference between a finals appearance and a lonely month lamenting the absence of Ljubo.

 

The X-Factor: The possible increased crowd due to owner Terry Serepisos making available 5,000 tickets at just $5 each. Due to Wellington’s inconsistency this season, the crowds have understandably been down. But with these extra tickets (to benefit the flood victims), the atmosphere around the ground should be increased, with the advantage for the Phoenix being a return of the crowds they saw last season in the run-in to the finals.

 

Tip: Wellington (3-0)

 

Melbourne Victory v Gold Coast

 

Date: Sunday 30^th January

Time: 5:00pm EDT

Location: AAMI Park

 

Betfair Odds

 

Victory: $1.86

Draw: $2.92

Gold Coast: $2.28

 

Changes

 

Victory

 

In: Geoff Kellaway (Promoted). Petar Franjic (Promoted). Leigh Broxham (Returns from Injury).
Out:
Unavailable: Archie Thompson (Hamstring), Surat Sukha (Calf) Robbie Kruse (Asian Cup), Kevin Muscat (Suspension).

 

Gold Coast

 

In: Zenon Caravella, Andrew Barisic, John Curtis, Chris Broadfoot, Ben Halloran (All promoted)
Out: Nil
Unavailable: Jason Culina (Knee Injury – 4 Weeks), Robson (Hamstring Injury – 7 Weeks), Daniel Piorkowski (Ankle Injury – Indefinite), Matt Osman (Knee Injury – Indefinite)

 

Key for Victory: A fast start. After the disappointing derby performance, there’s every chance the pressure from the home fans will be on right from the outset. If the game is meandering along, or if they concede it’s going to be a tough road back – one I doubt they could come back from.

 

Key for Gold Coast: Keeping on the theme of the week – continuing their defensive strategies from their last two meetings. In the first encounter up on the Gold Coast, they were severely undermanned yet the Victory were only able to score once and in the second meeting they kept a clean sheet. The last time I checked, keeping clean sheets in games means you most likely won’t lose.

 

The X-Factor: The home fans. The forecast is for somewhere in the mid 30’s so despite the twilight kickoff it will still be uncomfortable for everyone in the stands. If you combine that with a potential deficit in the game, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the frustration levels rise and the disappointment from the stands possibly being voiced in a negative manner.

 

Tip: Gold Coast (1-0)

 

That’s that for another weekend of matches. Until next time, you can follow me on Twitter (rickm18), you can search iTunes for the podcast I’m involved in (RickJames SportsCast), which has its own Facebook page (search RickJames SportsCast), and leave your thoughts on the outcomes of the weekend down below.

 

Enjoy the weekend of matches.