Perth Glory v Newcastle JetsCentral Coast v Sydney FC
Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory
Queensland Roar v Adelaide United
A-League continues with Round 2 after a tense weekend of football consisting of 3 draws and only one victor! Adelaide United's slender 1-0 win over Perth Glory was enough to give them all three points. Melbourne and Newcastle deserved more from their respective matches but in the end had to settle with a share of the spoils.
Some picks will be provided once team line-ups are known (i.e 30 minutes before kick-off).
Friday, August 22
21:00
Perth Glory v Newcastle Jets
Glory
In: Jamie Harnwell, Nick Rizzo, Adrian Trinidad.
Out: David Tarka.
Jets
In: Jade North, Kaz Patafta.
Out: Jason Hoffman, Antun Kovacic.
Summary: Both teams are strengthened for this Round 2 encounter with players returning from duty with the Australian olympic team. Perth will be relieved to have defender Topor-Stanley and striker, Nikita Rukavytsa, back in their ranks whilst Newcastle regain captain Jade North and midfielder James Holland. Newcastle will be eager to get all three points from this encounter to make up for the missed opportunities against the Mariners (in Round 1). That game ended at 1-1 but the scoreline was not a true reflection on the balance of play. Newcastle were rampant (especially in the second half) and crafted clear cut opportunities time and time again with scant reward. On the other hand, Perth seemed toothless in their opening league encounter against Adelaide United in a game where goal mouth action was almost non existant. In addition to their Olyroo representatives, the Glory's attacking ranks will be strengthened with new Argentinian signing, Adrian Trinidad, the versatile Jamie Harnwell, and creative midfielder Nick Rizzo.
Previous encounters:
Jul 19, 2008 Pre-Season Perth 1 - 1 Newcastle
Jan 18, 2008 A-League Newcastle 2 - 1 Perth
Nov 9, 2007 A-League Newcastle 1 - 4 Perth
Aug 26, 2007 A-League Perth 0 - 0 Newcastle
Jul 14, 2007 A-League Newcastle 0 - 1 Perth
Jul 14, 2007 Pre-Season Newcastle 0 - 1 Perth
Jan 14, 2007 A-League Perth 3 - 3 Newcastle
Footy Analysis predicts a contrast in tactics by both managers for this match. Newcastle will play the more patient, possession type football whereas Perth will play a direct game with long balls fed up to one of their many tall strikers. Jade North will provide a reassuring presence in the Newcastle backline so they should be able to handle the ensuing aerial bombardment that is expected. The Glory's already frail defence is weakened even further with the injury of centre-half David Tarka.
Pick LAY Perth Glory (Perth not to win).
Perth Glory 3 - 3 Newcastle Jets
Saturday, August 23
19:00
Central Coast Mariners v Sydney
Mariners
In: Dylan Macallister, Nigel Boogard, Mark Bosnich.
Out: Andrew Gumprecht, Dean Heffernan, Greg Owens, Mile Jedinak.
Sydney
In: Stuart Musialik, Alex Brosque, Dez Giraldi.
Out: Tony Popovic, John Aloisi, Mitchell Prentice, Brendon Santalab.
Summary: Both teams were rather fortunate to get away with a share of the points in their first round encounters. To be fair to Sydney, they were severely depleted due to injuries and suspensions. Better luck for them this time round though, as they are boosted by the introduction of striker Alex Brosque and Olyroo midfielder, Musialik. The Mariners were rocking in defence against the Newcastle Jets in their first game so will be thankful for the return of centre-half Nigel Boogard. Important defensive players, Heffernan and Jedinak are still not fit to take part.
Previous encounters:
Jul 27, 2008 Pre-Season Central Coast 3 - 0 Sydney
Dec 22, 2007 A-League Central Coast 4 - 5 Sydney
Oct 28, 2007 A-League Sydney 3 - 2 Central Coast
Aug 24, 2007 A-League Sydney 0 - 1 Central Coast
Jul 29, 2007 A-League Sydney 0 - 3 Central Coast
Dec 3, 2006 A-League Central Coast 0 - 0 Sydney
Oct 13, 2006 A-League Central Coast 3 - 1 Sydney
Footy Analysis predicts a tight contest between two South-East rivals. Sydney are able to field a better quality team than the injury ravaged Mariners today, and with their Olyroo players getting their 'land legs' back after their Olympic venture, Sydney might just have enough here.
Pick LAY Central Coast Mariners (Mariners not to win).
Central Coast 2 - 3 Sydney
Sunday, August 24
15:00
Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory
Wellington
In: Leilei Gao, Ben Sigmund.
Out: Vince Lia.
Melbourne
In: Grant Brebner, Tommy Tomich.
Out: Michael Theoklitos, Sebastian Ryall, Archie Thompson, Nick Ward, Daniel Vasilevski.
Summary: Melbourne showed some signs that they are a solid title contender this season despite the 0-0 scoreline against Sydney last Saturday. New signings, Fabiano and Ramirez, seem to have integrated well in the team's structure and have responded positively to life in Australia. Today, they meet Wellington for whom Melbourne defeated on penalties in the pre-season cup. The hero that day was Melbourne keeper Michael Theoklitos who is out injured for this encounter. Young and competent keeper, Mitchell Langerak replaces him between the sticks.
Previous encounters:
Aug 6, 2008 Pre-Season Wellington 0 - 0 Melbourne
Jan 11, 2008 A-League Melbourne 3 - 0 Wellington
Nov 24, 2007 A-League Melbourne 1 - 1 Wellington
Aug 26, 2007 A-League Wellington 2 - 2 Melbourne
Aug 4, 2007 A-League Melbourne 1 - 2 Wellington
Footy Analysis predicts that Melbourne will be the team to beat after their impressive showing in the opening game and fine pre-season form. Wellington's new recruits, Kwasnik and Bertos, seemed like fish out of water in their respective debuts against Queensland so it looks like they still might need some more time to settle.
Pick LAY Wellington (Wellington not to win).
Wellington 2 - 4 Melbourne
17:00
Queensland Roar v Adelaide United
Summary:
Previous encounters:
Jan 20, 2008 A-League Adelaide United 2 - 0 Queensland Roar
Nov 2, 2007 A-League Adelaide United 0 - 1 Queensland Roar
Aug 25, 2007 A-League Queensland Roar 2 - 2 Adelaide United
Aug 5, 2007 A-League Adelaide United 3 - 2 Queensland Roar
Jan 4, 2007 A-League Adelaide United 0 - 1 Queensland Roar
Nov 11, 2006 A-League Queensland Roar 0 - 1 Adelaide United
Sep 22, 2006 A-League Queensland Roar 0 - 0 Adelaide United
Footy Analysis predicts
Pick
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