Adelaide United v North QueenslandPerth Glory v Melbourne Victory
Brisbane Roar v Central Coast
Newcastle Jets v Gold Coast United
Gold Coast continue to show their dominance in the A-League, defeating Adelaide United and jumping to a clear lead at the top of the table. This was made possible by Sydney's slip up at Central Coast, drawing 1-1 after their goalkeeper Clint Bolton's, penalty saving heroics. A couple of clubs celebrated first up wins in Perth Glory and Melbourne Victory, leaving only Brisbane Roar and new boys North Queensland Fury chasing that illusive win.
Friday, 28 August
Adelaide United v North Queensland Fury
Preview: Two clubs in turmoil do battle here as 3rd from bottom Adelaide United meet cellar dwellers North Queensland. In Round 3, Adelaide had to succumb to the class of Gold Coast in a 2-0 home defeat whereas North Queensland were fortunate to only lose 1-0 against a Melbourne Victory side not really firing on all cylinders. The talk in the media this week has been about Adelaide’s in fighting (Cassio and manager Aurelio Vidmar) and the idea of perhaps North Queensland given some extra funding from the FFA (Football Federation Australia) to assist with player purchasing.
Verdict: The noises coming out of Adelaide United is that a few home truths were spoken during the week about the club’s current league performances and the situation with Brazilian import, Cassio. The Brazilian left wing-back was left out of last weekend’s squad against Gold Coast for disciplinary reasons after having some disagreements with the manager about tactics. Both player and manager have made an announcement that ‘clear the air’ talks were held and all is fine now. North Queensland is still trying to find their feet in the A-League and they have their backs against the wall here, especially against a wounded animal in the shape of Adelaide United. Despite their poor start, Adelaide United are still expected to be in the finals come the end of the season. Scoring goals has been their problem, finding the net only once (from the penalty spot) this season against Perth Glory. With striker Lloyd Owusu available for selection, coupled with the visitors poor defence and what has transpired in the last week, I expect a very positive reaction from the home side.
Picks:
Adelaide United 1X2 @1.62 (Stan James, 8 units)
Adelaide United 3 - 3 North Queensland
Adelaide United AH -1 @1.95 (Pinnacle, 4 units)
Adelaide United 3 - 3 North Queensland
Perth Glory v Melbourne Victory
Preview: Both teams go into this game with optimism after breaking their respective winless streaks in Round 3. Perth scored one of the goals of the season (so far) in their 2-0 home win over Newcastle whereas Melbourne grounded out a slender 1-0 victory at North Queensland. Perth has been competitive, if not spectacular this season, and will hope their good home record of 4 wins in their last 5 encounters with Melbourne will hold them in good stead. The visitors face somewhat of a defensive crisis with Kemp, Muscat, and Berger all ruled out for this game while striker, Danny Allsopp, has done limited training this week while nursing a quadricep injury. Perth will persist with striker Branko Jelic up front while midfielders Wayne Srhoj and Victor Sikora will look to continue their fine form. Once Brazilian international, Amaral, is a chance of playing for Perth after agreeing a guest stint with his former club.
Verdict: Slowly but surely, Perth are beginning to look like a team. In Round 2, they were very unfortunate to lose away to Wellington (1-2) after having dominated in terms of possession and chances but redeemed themselves in fine style in Round 3. This week, former Blackburn Rovers man, Andy Todd, has come out and expressed his positive thoughts about the team and it seems as if finally, all Perth players are reading off the same page. The visitors and current champions, Melbourne Victory, have left a lot to be desired so far this season. They have many players out of form, including strikers Thompson and Allsopp, and rely a lot on the creativity of Costa Rican international, Carlos Hernandez. Hernandez has been selected to play in his country’s qualifiers next month so will depart immediately after the game. Maybe he will be a little cautious here as the last thing he wants is an injury before two important WC qualifiers.
Picks:
Perth AH +0.25 @1.80 (10bet, 7 units)
Perth Glory 2 - 1 Melbourne
Perth DNB @2.12 (10bet, 3 units)
Perth Glory 2 - 1 Melbourne
Saturday, 29 August
Brisbane Roar v Central Coast Mariners
Preview: An important game looms for the home team as they go in search of their first win of the season. It will be a hard task though against the undefeated Central Coast Mariners. Last week, Brisbane were leading 1-0 against Wellington when they disappointingly loosened their grip on the game, their discipline, and consequently two points as they conceded an equalizer with five minutes remaining. Youngster Tommy Oar was shown the red card for two bookable offences while manager, Frank Farina, was also shown his marching orders for protesting. Oar will be suspended for this game while Farina faces a touchline ban. Better news for the home side is that Brazilian striker, Reinaldo, returns from a long-term injury but is expected to start from the bench. Andrew Packer, Murdocca, and Zullo are definitely out while key man Danny Tiatto and veteran Charlie Miller have niggles but are expected to play. The visitors, Central Coast, can also feel aggrieved at last week’s happenings but for contrasting reasons. With only minutes remaining in their clash with Sydney FC, Adam Kwasnik missed a penalty which would certainly have sealed three points for the Mariners. Instead, they had to be content with a scoreless draw and one point. The Coast recall the services of utility man, Andrew Clark, but the game comes too soon for Doig, Huke, and Caceres.
Verdict: Hot weather is predicted for this game so I think the advantage goes to the Central Coast Mariners, one of the fitter teams in the A-League. Brisbane have players well into their 30’s that play in key positions, such as Miller, Tiatto, and Craig Moore. I don’t think these players will enjoy the 30+ temperatures expected. The returning Reinaldo is a positive for Brisbane but there’s a question mark on how much of an effect he will have on the game. He himself has admitted he has been rushed in after been out since last September, so I think it’s too early for him to have an impact. Other players such as Mitch Nichols and Robbie Kruse are in very poor form so it will be a surprise if they can topple an organized Mariners outfit with form, and what seems like everything else on their side.
Picks:
Central Coast AH +0.25 @2.02 (Bet365, 8 units)
Brisbane Roar 1 - 0 Central Coast
Central Coast 1X2 @3.52 (Pinnacle, 2 units)
Brisbane Roar 1 - 0 Central Coast
Sunday, 30 August
Newcastle Jets v Gold Coast United
Preview: Fourth from bottom, Newcastle, will try and stop the steam rolling Gold Coast United. Newcastle lost 2-0 at in-form Perth Glory in Round 3 whereas Gold Coast won by the same margin at Adelaide. Newcastle recall the services of experienced defender Ange Costanzo, just in time to face the visitors' irreprecable strike force of Shmeltz, Porter and Culina. Gold Coast's Steve Pantelidis is free to play for the visitors after having been cleared for violent conduct by the Disciplinary Committee.
Verdict: Newcastle showed their frailties in defence last week and i'm not sure whether the in-coming Costanzo will be able to successfully plug that hole. His central defensive partner, Nikolai Topor-Stanley, is a liability in my opinion and Gold Coast have the confidence, form, and artillery to take advantage of that.
Pick:
Gold Coast AH -0.5 @1.90 (10Bet, 10 units)
Newcastle Jets 1 - 0 Gold Coast
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