A-League Round 3 (21/8 to 23/8)

Adelaide United v Gold Coast United
North Queensland v Melbourne Victory
Brisbane Roar v Wellington Phoenix


It is now official, Gold Coast United have thrown the gauntlet to the rest of the A-League. Their 5-0 demolition of fellow new boys North Queensland has rarely been witnessed since the A-League's inception. Gold Coast face their stiffest test yet when they face Adelaide United in the first game of Round 3. Last year's champions, Melbourne Victory, played a 3-3 thriller against Brisbane Roar - leaving them winless so far this season. They won't get a better chance in putting that right against bottom team North Queensland.

Friday, 21 August
Adelaide United v Gold Coast United

Preview: Early high flyers, Gold Coast United, will look to keep their 100% win record intact when they face the organised outfit of Adelaide United. Gold Coast turned on the style against the anemic North Queensland outfit last week, with Shane Smeltz scoring four in a 5-0 rout. Ivorian wing-back, Adama Traore, made an impressive debut for the Gold Coast in what was a sound, team performance. Adelaide United seemed to run out of momentum in a poor second half showing, losing 1-0 to bitter rivals, Sydney United.

Verdict: In 180 minutes of football, Adelaide United have only amassed 3 shots on goal. The inclusion of giant Nigerian striker, Lloyd Owusu, will definitely bolster their striking options but the Reds will still have their work cut out against an all conquering Gold Coast United strike force. After a tight first half against Sydney, Adelaide fell away noticeably in the second half and can only be thankful that the losing margin was only by the solitary goal. The loss of central midfielder, Paul Reid, in a midfield already missing first teamers Sarkies and Barbiero will hurt the home team. In total contrast, Gold Coast retain the services of Brazilian midfielder, Robson, and defender Piorkowski.

Pick: Gold Coast United DNB@ 2.0 (Canbet, 5 units)
Adelaide United 0 - 2 Gold Coast United

Saturday, 22 August
North Queensland v Melbourne

Preview: Bottom of the table North Queensland, will look to silence the critics today against a hungry Melbourne team. Today's hosts were found out last week in embarassing fashion, losing 5-0 to league leaders Gold Coast. Going into the halftime break a goal down, the shackles were well and truly broken in the second half as Gold Coast's potent attack took advantage of North Queensland's defensive frailties. If there's one thing in common with these two sides this season, then it's their poor backlines. Melbourne conceded three goals in Round 2 against Brisbane (conceded two in Round 1) but managed to fight back from 2-0, and 3-1 deficits to snatch a 3-3 draw. North Queensland are strengthened this week with the inclusion of Ufak Talay, James Robinson, and Dutchman Dyron Daal. Melbourne promote Steven Pace to the side to fill in their troubled centre-back position, and possible absence of defender Matthew Kemp. Captain, Kevin Muscat, remains out with a hamstring injury.

Verdict: North Queensland manager, Ian Ferguson, has rung the changes this week and has hinted in reverting to a more adventurous 4-4-2 formation (replacing 4-5-1) with powerful forward Daniel McBreen lending a hand to veteran Robbie Fowler in attack. Melbourne struck some form last week with Hernandez and Danny Allsopp both scoring a brace but their defence still remains a worry. Goalkeeper Glen Moss has yet to settle at his new club, while injuries and poor recruitment in the off-season has left last year's champions a little light in defence.

Picks:
Over 2.5 goals @1.87 (Viva Macau, 7 units)
Nth Queensland 0 - 1 Melbourne Victory
Over 4.5 goals @6.0 (Centrebet, 1 unit)
Nth Queensland 0 - 1 Melbourne Victory

Sunday, 23 August
Brisbane Roar v Wellington Phoenix

Preview: Probably the most unfortunate team in the A-League in past seasons, Brisbane Roar will be looking to go some way into shaking that tag against their visitors from across the Tasman today. Like in past seasons, Brisbane's quality of football in Round 2 merited more than what they had to settle for. In what can be classed as one of the best games in A-League history, in terms of the quality of goals scored, Brisbane drew away to Melbourne Victory in a 3-3 goalfest. Brisbane twice led by two goals (at 2-0 and 3-1) but had to eventually settle for a point after some world class strikes from Melbourne. Wellington had better luck when a late, deflected strike from Leo Bertos gave them a 2-1 victory over Perth Glory. On the injury front, Brisbane have concerns over Tiatto and goalkeeper Reddy while McLoughan is definitely out whereas Wellington captain Tim Brown, is the only notable absentee for the visitors.

Verdict: Brisbane can consider themselves a little unfortunate in finding themselves third from bottom at the moment. In their only game so far at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane gave run away leaders Gold Coast United a real scare. The 3-1 scoreline really flattered the visitors that day, bringing an end to a run of six home wins in a row for Brisbane, stretching back to last season. Wellington's new strikers in Greenacre and Ifill showed signs last week of forming a good partnership, with the latter getting on the scoresheet against Perth in Round 2. It was an impressive first half team performance by Wellington but it was alarming to see how they allowed Perth to dictate the game following the half time break. They had the football Gods to thank for coming away with maximum points against a poor Perth side. So far this season, Brisbane have showed that they are playing at a much higher level than Wellington. The Roar will see this as the perfect opportunity to kick start their campaign after facing tough opposition in the first two rounds.

Picks:
Brisbane 1X2 @1.80 (Blue Square, 10 units)
Brisbane 1 - 1 Wellington
Brisbane AH -1 @2.25 (188bet, 5 units)
Brisbane 1 - 1 Wellington