There’s more than bragging rights up for grabs when Sydney FC host rivals Melbourne Victory. By the end of April, we’ll know exactly who sits where on the A-League ladder, but until then there are some serious questions yet to be answered, starting in round 24. Melbourne City have a favourable run in, but does it even matter? Has Ernie Merrick really given up on a finals spot? And is there a potential banana skin for the should-be Premiers, Perth? Stream international football with beIN SPORTS on KAYO. Live coverage from 2018/19 La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Argentine Super Liga & more. Get your 14 day free trial > SAME OLD STORY AT CITY Melbourne City vs Brisbane Roar — AAMI Park, Friday 7:50PM As far as the final four games of the season go, few teams have more to gain than Melbourne City. Capable of finishing as high as fourth — and securing the home final that comes with it — or as low as seventh and missing out on a chance at the trophy altogether, City certainly have a lot to play for over the coming month. Melbourne City could finish fourth, or seventh. Source: Getty Images The good news? A fixture list that tosses up a couple of very winnable games against the league’s two bottom sides, Brisbane Roar and the Central Coast Mariners, on either end of two crunch six-pointers against top four rivals Adelaide United and Wellington Phoenix. Where they finish is in their hands. The bad news? Not even they know what’s been going wrong of late. “Honestly, I don’t know what happens sometimes … Yeah, honestly I don’t know what to say.” They were the pretty frank words of a clearly dejected Luke Brattan moments after his team had copped three goals against a Western Sydney Wanderers sitting well outside finals contention in eighth spot last weekend. It was the latest lacklustre performance in a run of eight games that has seen them take maximum points on just one occasion. Friday night’s encounter with Brisbane Roar appears to be a match they must-win if they’re serious about catching the in-form Phoenix in fourth. Fortunately, January signing Jamie Maclaren looks set to return at the point of Warren Joyce’s attack after recovering from a freak training accident. But one gets the sense that City’s tactical problems are a bridge too far for even JMac to fix. MATTER OF FACT, OR MIND GAMES FROM MERRICK? Newcastle Jets vs Western Sydney Wanderers — McDonald Jones Stadium, Saturday 5:35PM Ernie Merrick seemed to take a leaf out of Luke Brattan’s book when he addressed the media on Tuesday following a disappointing loss to Wellington on the weekend. “I don’t think we are going to make the finals and we’re very disappointed by that,” Merrick said. Ernie Merrick doesn’t believe the Jets will make the finals. Source: AAP “[Wellington] was a very tough defeat to take away from home; 4-1. In fact the last two games we have played well below what we are capable of. “I think it means we haven’t got much chance of making the finals.” It was an honest, if not sobering assessment of a team that was good enough to go within one game of the top gong last season, but have struggled for consistency in this campaign. But the Scotsman was quick to cast his eye forward. “I’d say we’re way ahead of just about every other club regarding our signings. We’re in a good position and there’s a lot of good young talent here.” All this talk of the future has framed Newcastle’s next month of fixtures as little more than four experimental matches in which Merrick will get the chance to assess his squad — namely a host of youngsters. But, the mathematical possibility of clinching sixth spot still remains and with Melbourne City stuck in a rut seven points ahead of them, is the experienced coach merely making one last-ditch attempt to create the pressure-free vibe of their 2017/18 campaign? BRAGGING RIGHTS THE LEAST UP FOR GRABS Sydney FC vs Melbourne Victory — Sydney Cricket Ground, Saturday 7:50PM Bragging rights alone make Sydney FC versus Melbourne Victory one of, if not, the A-League’s tastiest fixture. But this time around, there is far more than just bragging rights on offer for the winner of 49th Big Blue. Despite their win out west last weekend, Melbourne look unlikely to make up the seven-point gap to league-leaders Perth, but have the opportunity to steal second spot from Sydney with a result on Saturday. The 49th Big Blue is about more than just bragging rights. Source: AAP It’s a shift in the ladder that could prove pivotal in the broader context of the finals series, as recognised by Daily Telegraph football editor Tom Smithies. “Basically, you’ve got a point between the teams at the moment so psychologically the result is so important,” Smithies told FOX Sports News. “For a start it’ll push one team into a little bit of a gap, but also just the knowledge that they’ve knocked off their closest rival will be hugely important.” It’s a psychological boost that, you get the feeling, Steve Corica’s side will need more than their rivals from south of the Murray given that they’re yet to beat the Victory this season. Even then, there is also a physical benefit to finishing second, particularly for these two clubs. Our AFC Asian Champions League representatives for this season, Melbourne and Sydney are scheduled to face their respective matchday five opponents — Kawasaki Frontale and Daegu FC — just days after the first set of A-League finals matches wrap up in early May. Second spot, and the weekend off that comes with it, takes on even greater importance ahead of this pivotal Big Blue. A CLASH OF STYLES, BUT WHO TAKES FOURTH SPOT? Adelaide United vs Wellington Phoenix — Coopers Stadium, Sunday 5:00PM Speaking of pivotal A-League fixtures, Adelaide United and Wellington Phoenix collide on Sunday afternoon in a match that will go a long way to deciding who ends up with fourth spot and the home final that comes with it during the first weekend in May. Despite their close proximity on the ladder, the tales of these two sides’ seasons could hardly be any different. David Williams has been lethal for the Nix in recent weeks. Source: AAP Adelaide — lean, controlled and if nothing else, steady — have struggled for goals all season long. Marco Kurz’s men have found the back of the net on just 28 occasions, only the hapless Central Coast Mariners have scored so infrequently. Meanwhile, Wellington — fluid, fast and well, just plain fun — have been prolific. 15 goals in their last three outings alone brings their season tally to 41 — the third best in the league. The secret behind Mark Rudan’s success, on the pitch at least, has been the domination of the transitional phase of football matches. The Phoenix aren’t interested in meandering through midfield with meaningless passes, in fact they’ve completed the second least of any team in the league. Instead, their game is all about utilising high-flying fullbacks Louis Fenton and Liberato Cacace, alongside their incredibly fluid and increasingly lethal front three that has for much of the season included the experienced David Williams, youngster Sarpreet Singh and star man Roy Krishna. In stark contrast once again, Adelaide’s relative success this season has stemmed from their ability to dominate the ball. Sitting smack bang in the middle of the ladder when it comes to total completed passes (8,254), they slip down to eighth in terms of completed passes made in the attacking third (1,820). It’s a statistical comparison that sums up their season pretty well. Will a patient Nix team be too quick on the break? Or can Adelaide keep the ball long enough to carve out the chances they need to take all three points and make strides to taking fourth spot? PERTH’S DANGER GAME Central Coast Mariners vs Perth Glory — Central Coast Stadium, Sunday 7:00PM<doc-sep>An injury time winner from Milos Ninkovic turned the tide of the Big Blue and kept Sydney FC's premiership hopes alive as they clinched a dramatic 2-1 win over Melbourne Victory at the SCG on Saturday night. The Serbian playmaker slotted home from close range to temporarily close the gap between Sydney and league leaders Perth Glory to three points temporarily while ensuring Melbourne's trip to Moore Park was one to forget. Star turn: Milos Ninkovic soaks in the plaudits after scoring against Melbourne Victory. Credit:AAP To rub salt into Victory wounds, Terry Antonis looked to have suffered a serious knee injury as a result of stepping on the uneven turf around the pitch of the Sydney Cricket Ground, where the match was being played due to the closure of Allianz Stadium. The costly defeat will almost certainly end Victory's hopes of a top-two finish and the avoidable injury to Antonis will be a significant blow to Melbourne's quest for back-to-back championships.<doc-sep>Australian football's two pacesetters will go head-to-head once more in Saturday night's Big Blue, but there's a new way in which Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory are leading the A-League forward - through their use of live video analysis on the sideline during games. American-based sports analytics company Hudl is the major provider for video analysis in the A-League and have gained approval for their software to be used mid-game by coaches and in the dugout, which allows clips to be shown to substitutes before they enter the fray. Innovator: Sydney FC coach Steve Corica is one of only two coaches in the A-League who use live video analysis. Credit:AAP Live analysis is only part of their most premium offerings and sources suggested the only two clubs that purchased the licence to access the package at the start of the season were Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory, who are relentless in their search for competitive advantages against each other and the rest of the competition. The use of mid-game video analysis was approved at the start of the season and Football Federation Australia jumped at the opportunity to bring it on board with their national teams as part of a push by Socceroos coach Graham Arnold to increase the level of video analysis used in the game.<doc-sep>
Terry Antonis of the Victory is helped from the field after suffering a suspected knee injury. There might be fresh concerns over the SCG pitch, with Melbourne Victory attacker Terry Antonis suffered a suspected knee injury in the Big Blue. Antonis limped off midway through the second half of Saturday night’s 2-1 A-League loss to Sydney FC after innocuously slumping to the turf away from the action. Live stream the 2019 Hyundai A-League on KAYO SPORTS. Every game of every round live & anytime on your TV or favourite device. Get your 14 day free trial > Replays later showed Antonis appeared to have collapsed on the edge of a re-laid square in the middle of the ground. Any potential lay-off for Antonis would be a shattering blow to the defending champions, who also conceded a Milos Ninkovic game-winner in injury time. Ninkovic latched onto a Siem de Jong low cross in the 93rd minute, and his shot ricocheted off a Victory defender before bouncing past keeper Matthew Acton. The win leaves the Sky Blues in pole position to claim the all-important second spot, lifting them four points clear of third-placed Victory. Milos Ninkovic stoppage time winner helped the Sky Blues to victory Source: Getty Images It also reduces the gap between them and first-placed Perth to three points with three games remaining, however the Glory have a game in hand. Ninkovic’s winner came after Kosta Barbarouses cancelled out Brandon O’Neill’s opener in an entertaining first half dominated by the hosts. But what promised to be an enthralling contest between the arch rivals fizzled into a dour affair after the break, until Antonis’ injury and Ninkovic’s late heroics. Sydney FC had most of the early running, and almost had the lead minutes into the match when Adam Le Fondre’s chip hit the crossbar. But it didn’t take long for the home side to be rewarded for their daring play, symbolised by O’Neill’s audacious 23-metre effort in the sixth minute. The holding midfielder was 23 metres out when he received a cutback from Anthony Caceres before driving past the outstretched hand of Acton. Sydney FC’s desire to push the tempo also opened the door for Victory to counter, and Keisuke Honda made them pay with his set-up for Barbarouses. His through-ball split two defenders and left the Victory marksman one-on-one with Andrew Redmayne, who was flat-footed by Barbarouses’ chip. The goal extended Barbarouses’ blazing run to a remarkable 10 in 11 games. If you can’t see the blog below, CLICK HERE.