City’s sixth sense

After Brisbane Roar’s midweek loss to the Western Sydney Wanderers, Melbourne City’s finals chances are in their own (shaking, sweaty?) hands. Beat the Roar on Saturday night and they’ll go eight points clear in sixth ahead of their weekend opponents with just four games (five for Brisbane) to play. City have already beaten Brisbane twice this season but that’s not where their advantage ends. Brisbane’s game on Saturday night will be their fifth in just 13 days, confirmation of which can be seen in the claw-like hands of the Roar’s overworked masseuses. Worse, the Roar team that will front AAMI Park will be a shadow of the real thing, like a movie set street frontage that looks real enough until you see the bare bones behind it. Through a combination of injury and international duty Brisbane will play without Matt McKay, Luke DeVere, Corey Brown, James Donachie (all international duty) and the injured duo, Henrique and Thomas Broich. City will make do without midfield workhorse Aaron Mooy and, yes, Connor Chapman, Ben Garuccio, Rob Wielaert, Damien Duff and Jacob Melling, but with David Williams and Josh Kennedy returning City look considerably better off. City have a way of confounding expectations (not always in a good way), and you could never pick them with any confidence, but it’s theirs to lose. Or win, depending on your philosophical approach to life.

Sydney’s last chance to grab the sandwich plate

There’s a long way to go before the A-League champions are crowned but the race to win the Premier’s Plate ends in just five rounds. To that end, Wellington — all dry now after surviving the biblical drenching in Brisbane last weekend without the aid of Russell Crowe or fallen angels with a bizarre resemblance to Optimus Prime (Noah, ay, what a damp squib that was) — are in pole, four points clear of Melbourne Victory, Sydney and Perth, with Adelaide a point further back on 37. Sydney’s chance of winning their first premiership since 2009-10, meanwhile, could come down to Sunday’s game against the Phoenix in Wellington. Lose and Sydney will be seven off the pace, their shot at the silver sandwich tray all but dead in the water. Considering the stakes it’s a crying shame the game will be so affected by the international break. Wellington will be missing five players — surely neutralising the effect of their recent form and confidence. No Nathan Burns, Michael McGlinchey, Michael Boxall, Louis Fenton, Tom Doyle and Tyler Boyd. It’s like Split Enz without the Finns, Iron Maiden without the hair. Sydney, looking to shake off the disappointment of their meek 1-0 loss to City last week, will have to make do without Marc Janko, no small loss, but in Shane Smeltz they’ve got a ready-made replacement. But the pressure’s on Sydney. A loss will not only see the Premier’s Plate move out of sight but it could also see them drop to fifth.

An exorcism in Perth

A last-minute, long ranger howitzer from Nick Montgomery cost Perth their first win in nine games last weekend but the Mariners had fair claims to the point, as Kenny Lowe was willing to concede. And so eight games without a win became nine and for Perth it must feel like they’re enduring the incremental removal of a wax strip from a Sasquatch-hairy inside leg. But it only ever takes one win to turn things around and the stars have aligned for Glory this week with their opponents, the Wanderers, being overworked, understaffed and over there. Having played on Wednesday night, Western Sydney venture to Perth without Tomi Juric, Matthew Spiranovic, Brendon Santalab, Shannon Cole, Brendan Hamill, Mark Bridge, Mateo Poljak, and Nick Ward. Even with Daniel Da Silva and Jamie Maclaren missing the Glory should exercise their superiority and exorcise their recent demons.

Victory’s need to live up to their name

It’s the memory of Melbourne Victory at their best that convinces many that Kevin Muscat’s team are the ones to beat for the title, yet how often this season have the Victory been at their best, or at least not suffered telling lapses that have allowed games to get away from them (like letting Adelaide score off a throw-in last week)? After winning six of their first nine games the Victory have won just four of the their following 12. For all the match-winners in their team it’s not exactly the kind of record that has opposition coaches pulling their doonas up to their chins and staring wide eyed into the darkness. Win their game in hand and, yes, they are just one point off the competition lead, but the Victory would be looking for winning consistency with the finals approaching and at some point you feel it’s going to come together and they’ll do a number on someone. But we might have to wait another week. Although the Central Coast Mariners have taken on the appearance of henchmen in a James Bond spoof, the Victory are down on troops with five players on international duty and injury clouds hanging over Besart Berisha and Kosta Barbarouses. At home you’d still expect Victory to get the job done but a win may not be achieved with any margin of comfort.

Time for Adelaide to show us their bits

Two months ago Adelaide dragged Newcastle into the yard and beat seven shades out of tiki-taka out of them. It was a result that looked like triggering a reign of terror, but in the following week Adelaide lost to the Mariners and so commenced a long period of ho-hum form of two wins from seven that saw a question mark put beside their championship credentials. It didn’t help Adelaide that the influential Nigel Boogaard missed four of those seven matches (they’ve had a win, draw and loss since his return), but they appeared to lose confidence all too easily. On Sunday, Adelaide play Newcastle again (in Newcastle this time) and the Reds will be striving to build on their fighting draw against Victory last week, to convert their chances, and set themselves up for a strong run home. Given how close the race for top spot has become, anything but a win would be a disaster.

Fixtures

Friday
Melbourne Victory v Central Coast Mariners, AAMI Park, Melbourne, 7:40pm
Saturday
Melbourne City vs Brisbane Roar, AAMI Park, Melbourne, 7:30pm
Perth Glory vs Western Sydney, nib Stadium, 7:30pm (9:30pm AEDT)
Sunday
Wellington Phoenix vs Sydney FC, Westpac Stadium, Wellington (3pm AEDT)
Newcastle Jets vs Adelaide United, Hunter Stadium, Newcastle, 5pm