A-League, W-League previews: The round’s match ups across the men’s and women’s draws

For the first time in the competition’s history every head coach in the men’s A-League are Australian. Check out the full preview for each match in the A-League Men and Women.

New Wamderers coach Mark Rudan. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty

It’s taken almost 17 years, but the ranks of those leading the A-League clubs can be fully stamped: “Made In Australia”.

For the first time ever, all the head coaches in the men’s A-League are Australian, with Carl Robinson’s exit from Western Sydney Wanderers removing the last import and completing the competition’s trend towards local leaders.

Eight of the 12 are former Socceroos, while Central Coast Mariners boss Nick Montgomery, though born and bred in England, came to Australia a decade ago and is now a full citizen.

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The ranks of those in the 12 hotseats includes 11 who played in the A-League, and whose rise coincided with the focus that began a decade and a half ago on developing young Australian coaches.

Since the opening season of the A-League in 2005-06, when three of the eight coaches were foreign, the most has been 2011-12 when five overseas coaches were involved at various points of the season.

Scroll down for a full preview of the A-League Men and Women rounds this weekend.

A-LEAGUE MEN

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 18

Melbourne City v Newcastle Jets

AAMI PARK

Kick-off: 7.45pm AEDT

TV: Paramount+

Radio: SEN Vic App / 1116 / Fanatic / Bendigo / Geelong, SEN Hobart / SA / Mt Gambier / Top End / WA / Peel / 1170 / Central Coast / Q / Gold Coast

Odds: City: $1.46 Draw: $4.50 Jets $6.25

Melbourne City will sweat on the fitness of key players Scott Jamieson and Marco Tilio after the pair trudged off with respective injuries during their side’s shock 2-1 loss to Adelaide United in midweek.

The champions squandered the chance to surge to the top of the table by dropping all three points in a game they led through a Jamie Maclaren strike in the first half.

Newcastle, meanwhile, are buoyant after a stunning 2-1 win over Melbourne Victory on February 12. Arthur Papas’ side are one of four sides separated by just one point between eighth and 11th spot on the A-League Men’s table, but a win would take the Jets to within one point of the top six - that’s how close the standings are at this point in the season.

SATURDAY

Wellington Phoenix v Sydney FC

Leichhardt Oval

Kick-off: 5.05pm AEDT

TV: Paramount+

Radio: SEN NZ / 1170, SENQ

Odds: Phoenix: $3.40 Draw $3.50 Sydney $2.05

Wellington Phoenix are flying up the A-League Men’s table off the back of five games unbeaten which have taken Ufuk Talay’s side from last place to within a win of top spot.

The ‘Nix haven’t lost since Mexican midfielder Gael Sandoval debuted for the club in mid-January. Wellington have since won four games and drawn one, scoring 10 goals and conceding just three to go level on points with the Sky Blues.

Steve Corica’s side will be the ‘away’ team at a Wellington home game played at Leichhardt Oval. The Sky Blues are unbeaten in four games themselves and will fancy their chances of spoiling the Phoenix party on Saturday afternoon.

Melbourne Victory v Central Coast Mariners

AAMI Park

Kick-off: 7.45pm AEDT

TV: Network 10, Paramount+

Odds: Victory $2.05 Draw $3.45 Mariners $3.40

It’s the FFA Cup final rematch between two sides experiencing respectively flat runs of form in the A-League Men’s.

Melbourne Victory are officially in a rut; a fourth consecutive game without a win confirming that fact as a 2-0 loss to Western Sydney on Wednesday night put the FFA Cup champions in a precarious position in the final slot inside the top six.

Since winning the domestic cup final against Central Coast in early February Tony Popovic’s side have lost to Wellington, Newcastle and the Wanderers after drawing 2-2 with Sydney FC in the game prior to the FFA Cup decider.

The Mariners are shipping late goals of late - a habit becoming costly this season. In back-to-back games their opponents have scored equalisers at the death to prevent Central Coast taking maximum points - those points would have put Nick Montgomery’s side in the finals hunt.

Macarthur FC v Adelaide United

Campbelltown Stadium

Kick-off: 7.45pm AEDT

TV: Paramount+

Odds: Macarthur $2.45 Draw $3.30 Adelaide $2.80

Adelaide United are the stars of the late show this season, earning an extra nine points with goals scored after the 84-minute mark in six fixtures to date.

Their most recent last-gasp feat was an 85th-minute winner over champions Melbourne City on the road - and travelling to face a leaky Macarthur FC outfit will give Carl Veart’s side plenty of optimism about getting a result on Saturday night.

The Bulls started the season on fire, but have conceded 14 goals in their last five games, sliding out of premiership contention on the winless run (D2, L3).

SUNDAY

Perth Glory v Brisbane Roar

Venue: TBC

Kick-off: TBC

TV: Paramount+

If the pattern of Brisbane Roar results holds up on Sunday, a Roar win is on the way against Perth. The Queenslanders have won, lost, won, lost, won and lost in that order in their last six games, making them one of the hardest sides to read form-wise in the A-League Men’s.

It’s potentially even harder to get a read on Perth as their stop-start season continues in 2021/22. A return from the most recent COVID-19 outbreak in the squad saw two youngsters combine to nick a point off the Mariners late on, with Adam Zimarino finding Daniel Stynes to equalise.

With consistent injury and illness concerns plaguing the senior members of Richard Garcia’s squad the onus may fall on young blood to steer Perth through yet another fixture.

Western United v Western Sydney Wanderers

AAMI Park

Kick-off: 6.35pm AEDT

TV: Paramount+

Odds: Western $2.15 Draw $3.45 Wanderers $3.30

For the second time in just over two weeks, Western United and Western Sydney lock horns in the A-League Men’s. United won 1-0 in the Wanderers’ home fixture on February 5, but Mark Rudan’s side will be confident of travelling to AAMI Park and building on a good win against Victory on Wednesday night.

United’s position on top of the A-League Men’s table could be taken away from them by the time this game kicks off on Sunday afternoon, but John Aloisi’s side have a one-point gap on the competition heading into the weekend - meaning their position can be restored with a three-point display.

A-LEAGUE WOMEN

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 18

Brisbane Roar v Canberra United

Gold Coast Sports Precinct

Kick-off: 7.45pm AEDT

TV: Paramount+

Brisbane Roar simply must respond after a club-record 8-2 loss to Adelaide United on their home deck.

Canberra, meanwhile are buoyed by a 5-0 win over Western Sydney - the club’s first of the season. The conflicting moods around the two clubs are set to make for interesting viewing when they clash at Gold Coast Sports Precinct on Friday night.

These two clubs finished in the top four last season, making their respective positions on the table today all the more disappointing. United are seventh heading into the weekend and the Roar eighth, with neither side able to make a late push to the postseason. It’s all about pride from here on out for these two sleeping giants.

SATURDAY

Melbourne Victory v Perth Glory

AAMI Park

Kick-off: 4.50pm AEDT

TV: Paramount+

Radio: SEN Fanatic

After Melbourne Victory’s entertaining midweek draw with Sydney FC, the door has been left slightly ajar for Perth Glory to gun for a spot in the top four.

Alex Epakis’ side are four points behind Victory in third and three behind Adelaide United in fourth as the West Australian outfit refuse to say die this season. Perth were taught a lesson by Melbourne City in their last hit-out, losing 4-0 to the second-placed side, but up to now the Glory have shown a hunger for upset results. Could they be the ones to end Victory’s five-game winless run?

Newcastle Jets v Western Sydney Wanderers

No. 2 Sportsground

Kick-off: 7.05pm AEDT

TV: Paramount+

Western Sydney Wanderers are free-falling down the A-League Women’s table after consecutive 5-0 defeats.

Scoring just three goals to this stage in the season is a measly contribution from Catherine Cannuli’s side, who went goalless for an eighth game this season in a thumping loss to Canberra on Tuesday afternoon.

A contentious moment of drama denied Newcastle a point against undefeated league-leaders Sydney FC last time out; the 1-0 loss could have ended with points shared but a late Jets goal was cancelled out due to an obstruction on Sydney FC keeper Jada Whyman.

The Jets sit 12 points outside the top four with five games to play, meaning a win over the Wanderers - and a convincing one at that - will keep the slim finals hopes alive.

Melbourne City v Sydney FC

Kingston Heath Soccer Complex

Kick-off: 4.05pm AEDT

TV: Network 10, Paramount+

A massive opportunity awaits for Melbourne City after Sydney FC dropped points against Melbourne Victory on Wednesday night: win this top of the table clash, and the gap between first and second closes to just two points - with City maintaining a game in hand on the league-leaders.

It’s first against second on Sunday afternoon in an unmissable A-League Women’s battle which will play a significant role in crowning this season’s premiers. Golden Boot leader Hannah Wilkinson misses out for second-placed City on international duty with New Zealand at the SheBelieves Cup in the United States.