Kicking off the round, Melbourne City look to close the gap on league leaders Auckland FC when they host the lowly Brisbane Roar at 7.35pm (all times in AEST).
Sitting in third they could leapfrog Western United this week if the results go their way.
City have shown in recent weeks that they can win in different ways, last week was a hard-fought 1-0 win over Central Coast and before that a 3-2 bolter with Sydney FC.
Brisbane on the other hand want to do better than what they dished up last week in the 5-1 home loss to Macarthur Bulls.
They’ve been left equal last with Perth Glory, ahead on goal difference.
The football filled Saturday begins over in New Zealand when Wellington Phoenix welcome Melbourne Victory at 3pm.
The Phoenix are out to win back-to-back games for just the second time this season. They’re also happy to see their 77-day winless run come to an end last week.
Victory are coming off a bye and a win here is crucial for their finals push. They sit fifth, three points ahead of Sydney and Adelaide United in sixth and seventh. A win here could see them fourth when the weekend is done.
Top team Auckland head to Sydney to face the Sky Blues at 5pm. It’s a short turnaround for Sydney who lost 2-0 to Singaporean side Lion City Sailors on Wednesday night in the ACL Two.
Their previous A-League clash was a dramatic 3-2 win over Adelaide and a win here, with other results, could see them jump to fourth.
For the Kiwi’s it’s about the Premiers Plate. If they get passed the Sky Blues, it’s looking likely they’ll finish first.
Staying in NSW, the Newcastle Jets v Central Coast Mariners clash is just about bragging rights as both sides are set to miss finals.
Central Coast in fact are on course for their lowest finish since the 2019-20 season.
The Jets are looking for their first home win over the reigning champions since 2020 while the Mariners want revenge for being held 2-2 with them last time around. And they might be confident given they haven’t lost to Newcastle in seven games. This match kicks off a 7.35pm.
The final game on Saturday night sees cellar dweller Perth Glory host Adelaide United.
Glory are desperate to avoid back-to-back wooden spoons, and while they are on equal point with Brisbane, they have played two more games and have much worse goal difference.
Adelaide enter this match fresh off the news that coach Carl Veart will depart at the end of the season after the club opted not to extend his contract.
He enjoyed a red-hot start to the season, his fifth at the helm full-time, with Adelaide in early premiership contention.
But the Reds have since plummeted to outside the top six amid a seven-game winless run, including last week’s dramatic 3-2 loss to Sydney.
They do have a favourable run home before finals though with games against Brisbane and Wellington.
To close off the round, it’s a meeting between two goal-scoring machines in Western Sydney Wanderers and Western United.
The Wanderers, who are the league’s top goal scorers, are on an eight-game unbeaten run (two recent draws and four straight wins before that).
Western are the form team of the competition with five wins in a row.
It’s the blockbuster game of the round, as United are just one goal short (49) of WSW (50) and both are fairly matched in recent times with Wanderers winning five of the last 10 matches. Western have four wins while their most recent clash this season was a draw.
Standings
Teams Win Draw Loss Points
1. Auckland FC 13.7.2.46
2. Western Utd 12.5.5.41
3. Melb City 12.4.6.40
4. Western Sydney 10.6.6.36
5. Melb Victory 10.6.6.36
6. Sydney FC 9.6.7.33
7. Adelaide Utd 9.6.7.33
8. Macarthur 9.5.9.32
9. Newcastle Jets 7.5.10.26
10. Central Coast 5.10.8.25
11. Wellington 6.6.10.24
12. Brisbane Roar 2.5.14.11
13. Perth Glory 2.5.16.11
