Perth Glory's new coach Alistair Edwards has taken over the reins of the club facing the toughest task in Australian football: beating league-leaders Central Coast Mariners...

Saturday 16 February 2013

Tony Sage and the Perth Glory board took the decision on Monday that it had had enough of coach Ian Ferguson and assistant Stuart Munro, replacing the two with Alistair Edwards. Five consecutive losses for the Western Australians was the trigger, including a disappointing 2-0 loss to Melbourne Heart. The form up front of Shane Smeltz and Liam Miller has been brought into question, and the duo will need to lift otherwise they could be spending time on the sidelines. Could new signing Matias Cordoba start despite him lacking match fitness?

Central Coast are sitting on top of the world at the moment after their 5-0 hammering of Wellington Pheonix last Thursday. Josh Rose and Pedj Bojic were the stars of the show, as they constantly got past the Phoenix defence, causing havoc almost every minute. Michael McGlinchey has made himself at home in his new No. 10 role behind Daniel McBreen and Bernie Ibini, and the trio are showing why they are very dangerous up front. 

New coach generally means inspired performance and victory, but bottom-placed Perth can't take a trick at the moment.

Prediction Perth Glory 1-3 Central Coast Mariners

Melbourne Victory has second place taken off them last weekend by Western Sydney Wanderers. Can they wrestle it back on Saturday evening?...

Saturday 16 February 2013

Two genuine title contenders square off with only one goal in mind: maximum points. After dropping crucial momentum last weekend against Adelaide, Ange Postecoglou's Melbourne Victory will be looking to get back on the winning horse as fast as they can. No Archie Thompson and no Adama Traore will make it tough for the Blue and White, meaning Marcos Flores and Andrew Nabbout will need to step up in attack, whilst in defence, the whole team will need to be focused. Mark Milligan returns from international duty, which is a big boost for the side. Daniel Mullen - who signed this week on loan for the remainder of the season - is in line to make appearance for the club, especially with Traore missing.

Ante Covic has been the focus of this week for the Wanderers, as the reigning Victory Player of the Season returns to Melbourne to tackle his former club. Michael Beauchamp was expected to return last week, but was given an extra seven days to full recover. Youssouf Hersi has been the name on people's lips recently, and the Ethiopian could be the 'X' factor in determining the result. His runs along the wing won't be closed down by Traore, so watch for the 30-year-old. 

One win apiece in Parramatta, but MVFC at home are a tough team to beat. No Thompson hurts, meaning the points could be shared in this one.

Prediction: Melbourne Victory 1-1 Western Sydney Wanderers

Sydney and Adelaide have both had positive weeks on and off the pitch, meaning that a great game is in store on Saturday afternoon...

Saturday 16 February 2013

Sydney FC's 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar last weekend saw the Sky Blues move into the top six for the first time since Round 4. A remarkable turnaround, considering the side were struggling at the foot of the table for parts of the season. However, Frank Farina has managed to turn this team around and  play some good football, and the former Socceroo boss has been rewarded with a contract extension. One concern for the tactician is that Brett Emerton and Ali Abbas are unavailable due to an accumulation of yellow cards, but Terry McFlynn and Yairo Yau are back from suspension and international duty, respectively. The form of Alessandro Del Piero has been the catalyst for the Sky Blues, and as long as the 38-year-old keeps finding the back of the net, the team wins.

Adelaide finally got a win for new coach Michael Valkanis by defeating old rival Melbourne Victory 1-0 last weekend. Despite this, the tactician will be forced to sit in the stand as he was shown his marching orders. The attack has been the focus for much of the season for the Reds, and it will be expected to lift once again. Although, Nigel Boogaard and Iain Fyfe have the toughest job in Australian football: limiting Del Piero's influence. 

Wins are split, but Sydney have won their last four at Allianz Stadium. 

Prediction: Sydney FC 1-1 Adelaide United

One point separates the two teams on the A-League ladder, as both Newcastle Jets and Melbourne Heart look to cement their spot going into the finals...

Friday 15 February 2013

Newcastle fans may have been pleased to see their side starting to rectify their poor start to the season with a strong run of results, however, a loss to Western Sydney has now hurt Gary van Egmond's team. Despite it being their first loss in five matches, the Jets are winless in four, with a 1-0 win to Brisbane Roar a month ago being the last time the side collected collected maximum points. Defenders Dominik Ritter and Taylor Regan are very close to returning to the starting XI, hopefully solving the Novocastrians' major dilemma this term.

The only reason the Melbourne Heart find themselves in fifth place is because of their outstanding home record. And a convincing 2-0 win over Perth Glory at AAMI Park illustrated why not many sides have walked away with points from their journey to Victoria. Richard Garcia has gone quiet recently, but Eli Babalj has been the one to step things up in his - and Josip Tadic's - place. However, more goals and better defensive displays away from home will be required between now and the end of the regular season. New signing Marcel Meeuwis could make his debut for the club as well. Fred and Simon Colosimo are also set to return, which is a big boost.

The Heart's away record is not very concerning for anyone, and it is for this reason that I am steering away from them claiming maximum points.

Prediction: Newcastle Jets 2-1 Melbourne Heart