A-League Round 14 (5/12 to 7/12)

Adelaide United v Wellington Phoenix
Perth Glory v Melbourne Victory


Round 14 is upon us in Australia's premier league and it's getting desperate for teams down the bottom. Struggling sides Newcastle and Sydney will fight out a '6 pointer' as both clubs look to resurrect their respective seasons. Bottom of the table Perth will hope that their solid home form will be enough to get them the three points that they so desperately need against league leaders Melbourne. It will be a tough task though as their leading marksman, Nikita Rukavytsya is a major injury doubt. In possibly the match of the round, top 4 sides Queensland and Central Coast do battle in what has historically been a high scoring fixture. To open the round, Adelaide will look to displace Melbourne from the top of the ladder when they lock horns with the most in-form side in the competition, Wellington Phoenix.

Friday, 5 December
Adelaide United v Wellington Phoenix

Summary: Adelaide will aim to secure a top position on the A-League table when they do battle against the in-form Wellington Phoenix. Since losing to Gamba Osaka in the ACL final in Japan, Adelaide seem to have steadied the ship somewhat in recent weeks with a home win over Sydney FC and an away draw against Newcastle. With another trip abroad due next week for the World Club Championships, Adelaide will be looking to secure a top 4 position before heading off. Visitors Wellington seem to have turned their season around with 3 wins on the bounce. Wins over Sydney, Newcastle, and Melbourne have pushed the New Zealanders up to equal fourth position. For all their good form, Wellington will be looking to arrest a poor away record at Adelaide in order to continue their rise up the table. On the injury front, Adelaide are without the services of Lucas Pantelis and Paul Agostino while Wellington are boosted by the return from suspension of Karl Dodd.

Verdict: Adelaide has the best home record in the league and have scored in 12 consecutive home fixtures whereas Wellington have been held scoreless in half their away fixtures to date. Last week, league leaders Melbourne took Wellington a little lightly and suffered the ultimate consequences, losing 1-2 after taking a 1-0 lead. In this fixture, I struggle to see Adelaide underestimating Wellington. Three points will see them displace Melbourne from the top spot so the home team have every incentive to get the win here.

Pick: Adelaide -0.5
Adelaide 6 - 1 Wellington

Saturday, 6 December
Perth Glory v Melbourne Victory

Summary: Perth's 08/09 is beginning to slip away after a winless 3 game streak has seen them drop six points behind the play-off positions. In total contrast, Melbourne is almost guaranteed to figure in the finals series despite losing 2-1 away to in form Wellington last week. For Perth, it is a case of all or nothing now as they aim to make the most of home ground advantage which is a dangerous game to play against a high scoring Melbourne outfit. Melbourne manager Ernie Merrick has a full squad to choose from whereas the home team will definitely miss the services of midfielder Amarel and possibly their main attacking threat, Nikita Rukavytsya, who is suffering from calf soreness.

Verdict: Perth are undefeated in their last 5 home games but it is wins they require and not draws. Melbourne had a 3-game winning streak broken last week and were also perched off the summit of the A-League ladder as Adelaide thrashed Wellington last night. Melbourne were lack lustre last time out, despite going ahead at Wellington with Thompson, Ney Fabiano, and Rodrigo Vargas well off their top game. Perth have some really key injuries to deal with as their most creative and attacking threats are in doubt for this game. I expect Melbourne to return to form here and with Perth possibly starting to lose belief, a goal fest for the away side is not out of the question.

Verdict: Melbourne -0.5
Perth 3 - 1 Melbourne