Central Coast v Newcastle JetsGold Coast United v North Queensland
Wellington Phoenix v Perth Glory
The A-League season got under way in fine style last week with the leagues 'marquee' players in Robbie Fowler, John Aloisi, and Jason Culina all getting on the scoresheet. In the surprise of the round, defending champions Melbourne Victory, lost to the unfancied Central Coast Mariners. They will attempt to put things right this week against the Brisbane Roar.
Friday, 14 August
Central Coast Mariners v Newcastle Jets
Preview: Both teams go into this fixture on the back of a victory as Central Coast defeated defending champions, Melbourne Victory, 2-0 away from home and Newcastle defeated Wellington in a 3-2 thriller. Central Coast took full advantage of Melbourne's slow start to jump to a two goal lead early in the match, and then it was a case of just holding on. Newcastle played some impressive football against their friends from across the Tasman with youngster Jason Hoffman capitalising on poor defending to surge his team to a 2-0 goal lead. Dissapointingly, they let Wellington back in, conceding on a set piece and a spectacular goalkeeping blunder by keeper Ben Kennedy. In dramatic fashion, Newcastle came away with the three points in the dying minutes of the game when youngster Rooney and Naidovski combined for a deserved home win.
Verdict: This fixture is known as the F3 Derby and if history is anything to go by, then we can expect a tight and tense affair. Central Coast are missing key centre-back Chris Doig through injury whereas the visitors are unchanged from last week. Central Coast have the more experienced and physical side whereas Newcastle are more youthful, especially in the attacking areas. I thought Newcastle were the more impressive of the two in the first round so the odds touted on the away side are good value.
Picks:
Newcastle +0.5 @ 1.88 (Pinnacle, 4 units)
Central Coast 1 - 1 Newcastle
Newcastle 1x2 @ 4.00 (Stan James, 2 units)
Central Coast 1 - 1 Newcastle
Saturday, 15 August
Gold Coast United v North Queensland Fury
Preview: Arguably the most glamorous side in the A-League, Gold Coast United, will attempt to christen their new home ground with a victory over fellow new boys, North Queensland Fury. Last week, Gold Coast let everyone know they are the real thing with a convincing 3-1 away win at Brisbane Roar. Maybe the result was a little flattering but the quality of the goals was of the highest order. North Queensland were not so fortunate, losing their first home match of their inaugural season in the A-League to Sydney, 3-2. North Queensland looked like a side in much need of time together as their football was extremely disjointed, especially in the first half. They may have their work cut out against possibly the best strike force in the league.
Verdict: Gold Coast showed against Queensland that they will score lots of goals this season. Last year's Golden Boot, Shane Smeltz, and new boy Joel Porter seem to have sprung up an instant understanding already! On two occasions, their combination play led to goals while captain Jason Culina pulled the strings from midfield and got on the scoresheet himself. On a negative note, defensive midfielder Adam Griffiths has left for the Saudi Arabian league but will be replaced by either Zenon Caravella (rejected Serie B offers in pre-season) or Steve Fitzsimmons for this match. In other additions, promising Ivorian wing back, Adama Traore, will come in to replace the dissapointing Daniel Piorkowski. Robbie Fowler's North Queensland would of spent another week on the training pitch, working hard to iron out chinks in their armour. Surprisingly, the impressive new signing in Dutchman Dyran Daal has been left out of the squad, and so has the Japanese, Kojiro Kaimoto. Coming in to solidify the defensive ranks is former Soccerroo Shane Stefanutto but the visitors are still missing first team players in Jacob Timpano, Ufuk Talay, and Scotsman Scott Wilson. To sum up, we have arguably the poorest defense in the A-League against the best strikeforce.
Picks:
Gold Coast 1x2 @ 1.60 (Pinnacle, 8 units)
Gold Coast 5 - 0 Nth Queensland
Gold Coast -1AH @ 2.11 (188bet, 5 units)
Gold Coast 5 - 0 Nth Queensland
Over 2.5 goals @ 1.85 (Pinnacle, 3 units)
Gold Coast 5 - 0 Nth Queensland
Sunday, 16 August
Wellington Phoenix v Perth Glory
Preview: Both teams go into this match looking to record their first win of the season. In Round 1, Wellington lost 3-2 at Newcastle in a porous display whereas Perth Glory were toothless in their 1-0 defeat in Adelaide. It was announced this week that Wellington's membership numbers were down 30% on last year so it will be important that they record a win here for more reasons than one. In all honesty, they couldn't be playing against a better side to do just that as Perth have been renowned poor travellers in the last few seasons. On the injury front, Wellington's Tim Brown is a doubt with a groin strain but former Adelaide midfielder, Diego, is ready to step in line. Perth's battling midfielder, Jamie Coyne, is definitely out with a knee injury but Wayne Srhoj will come in to fill the void.
Verdict: Perth's newly assembled outfit, although better on paper than last season's, showed last week that it still has some way to go before realising it's full potential. It's hard to expect a first eleven featuring five new players to gel right away. Despite this, they lack the personel to create from midfield. This is where I think Wellington have the edge. With players like Bertos and Brazilian duo Diego and Daniel, they have players who can find a pass or beat a man. In addition, Wellington is a more settled side and were only defeated twice at home last season.
Pick: Wellington DNB@ 1.85 (188Bet, 6 units)
Wellington 2 - 1 Perth
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