The A-League action reloads with a full complement of five matches in Week 8.
We missed a couple at the start but flew home with some terrific winners in Week 7 and I’m confident that we’ve unearthed a few more in our A-League Week 8 tips.
Friday night marks the beginning of the round and an interesting fixture between the Victory and Glory looms.
The Victory’s horror start to the season continued with a 3-1 loss at Adelaide and they are now staring down the barrel of an unwanted hat-trick of defeats. Last week’s loss was probably also their most comprehensive and they would need to improve tenfold to take anything from this.
Slow by their own standards I’m sure, but the Glory have been fair for the most part in 2019/20 and will be confident in their chances of beating the Victory. Last week’s loss to Sydney FC was hefty, but this is a big drop in class for them and a terrific opportunity, which I think they’ll take.
The Brisbane Roar will return home from a disappointing trip to New Zealand but are another side that is offered a great opportunity to atone in Week 8.
A late strike from Stefan Mauk wasn’t enough for the Roar to claw back a two-goal deficit in Wellington and subsequently, they have lost two of their last three matches. It tends to make their stunning win over league leaders Melbourne City look like a fluke, but anything close to that performance would see them winning this easily.
There is no denying that the Mariners snuck away with the win over Western United last week because DRS is stupid, and I think they’ll find it extremely difficult to make it two in a row, particularly away from home.
Potentially the most intriguing match of the round will play out in the Hunter on Saturday night when the last start winning Jets host Western Sydney.
The Jets enter this match refreshed from a week off and prior to that, a classy win over Western United away from home. They are only a couple off the bottom of the ladder, but with plenty of scope to improve.
Following an outstanding start to the season, the Wanderers are now actually winless in their last three and will need to stem that run of form immediately if they are to remain in the top four. They were very unlucky not concede in the 92nd minute and ultimately lose to Melbourne City last week and a repeat of their performance would likely see them too strong for the Jets.
Sydney FC are on the road again in Week 8 and the league’s newest club are next in the crosshairs.
Western United can count themselves unlucky to have lost to the Mariners last week but regardless of that result, there is no doubt that they face a big rise in class this week and nothing short of a franchise-best performance will be required to beat this Sydney side.
The Sky Blues have returned to action in typically smart form this season, but last week’s thrashing win over the Glory in Perth was particularly impressive and it’s tough imagining any result other than another win materialising here. The $2.36 available for them at publish looks over the odds.
Two Week 7 winners will square off when Adelaide hosts Wellington in the final match of A-League Week 8.
Adelaide are shaping as a genuine title threat and will carry winning form and plenty of confidence into this match. They have now recorded four wins in succession and were particularly convincing at home last week, albeit against a poor Melbourne Victory side.
Wellington held on to beat the fancied Brisbane Roar at home last week, but that was their first of the season and they remain anchored to the bottom of the ladder. This will be a real test of their legitimacy, moving forward.
Betting suggests that this will be the most one-sided match of the week and I tend to agree with it.