15 Feb Round 19 A-League preview

Round 19 of the A-League is upon us with some fascinating fixtures to look forward to in what should be another action-packed weekend of football.

Here’s a preview of this weekend’s A-League matches:

Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory
Friday February 15th, Eden Park, 5:35pm AEDST

Wellington and Melbourne will meet at an unfamiliar venue in their Friday night blockbuster.

Eden Park will host Friday night’s clash, with the second-placed Victory needing an urgent response after going seven points behind Perth in the race for the Premiers Plate.

While the Phoenix have almost secured a finals spot, they will be out to inflict further misery on the reigning champions, who have lost three of their past five games in New Zealand.

In front of an expected crowd of over 20,000, Mark Rudan’s men will be keen to impress against one of the competition’s heavyweights.

Tip: Wellington Phoenix 1 Melbourne Victory 1

Newcastle Jets v Melbourne City
Friday February 15th, McDonald Jones Stadium, 7:50pm AEDST

With games running out, Newcastle’s match against Melbourne City is a must-win to ignite their fading finals aspirations.

The Jets are eight points outside the top six and face a City side who haven’t won in their past three outings.

The Citizens will be hoping new signings Jamie Maclaren and Shayne Harrison click in the final third after making their debuts for the club last week.

Warren Joyce’s men will be out to make it three-straight wins against the Jets and temporarily leapfrog Adelaide in fourth place.

Tip: Newcastle Jets 1 Melbourne City 2

Adelaide United v Western Sydney Wanderers
Saturday February 16th, Coopers Stadium, 7:50pm AEDST Live on SEN+

Adelaide United will take on a Western Sydney side galvanised by their first win in over two months.

The Wanderers’ 2-0 win over Central Coast was a major boost for club and eased the pressure on under-fire boss Markus Babbel.

For Adelaide it’s another vital game in their top four aspirations and they could have the opportunity to increase the two-point gap if fifth-placed City slip up against Newcastle.

The Reds are unbeaten in their last seven games against the Wanderers and they will seek to increase that to eight on Saturday night.

Tip: Adelaide United 3 Western Sydney Wanderers 1

Perth Glory v Brisbane Roar
Saturday February 16th, HBF Park, 10:00pm AEDST Live on SEN+

League-leaders Perth Glory took a giant step towards clinching the Premiers Plate with a deserved 2-1 away win over Melbourne Victory.

Sitting pretty with a seven-point gap at the top, the Glory head into the match against Brisbane understandably full of confidence with the finishing line now in sight.

The Roar produced one of the shocks of the season by stunning Sydney FC 2-1 – the club’s second win of the entire campaign.

Despite the morale-boosting win, Tony Popovic’s side will prove too strong for the Queenslanders.

Tip: Perth Glory 2 Brisbane Roar 0

Sydney FC v Central Coast Mariners
Sunday February 17th, Leichardt Oval, 5:00pm AEDST Live on SEN+

With the Premiers Plate now looking increasingly unlikely, Sydney will be seeking a positive result when they meet bottom-placed Central Coast.

The 2-1 defeat to Brisbane leaves the third-placed Sky Blues eight points adrift of Perth and just five points above fourth-placed Adelaide United.

Against a Mariners team who has lost four games on the trot, anything but three points will do for Steve Corica’s men.

Tip: Sydney FC 3 Brisbane Roar 1

A-League preview for Fujitsu
Experience year-round comfort with Fujitsu, Australia’s Favourite Air