It’s time for the follow up act of the A-League season with 10 of the 12 clubs now underway.
Central Coast and Newcastle will get the chance to make their season debuts this weekend after the weather played havoc with their fixture last Saturday.
But there is no doubt the headline encounter this weekend comes from AAMI Park when the Victory takes on the Wanderers in what is always a colourful encounter.
We have our A-League tips and previews for every game below so check out our Round 2 best bets.
It’s another date at Suncorp for the Roar as the reigning premiers come to town and it should be a great way to start off the weekend.
Based on Charlie Austin’s postgame comments, Brisbane felt rather aggrieved to only come away with a point from their opening game with Macarthur but they’ll have to find another gear in this one.
However it’s tough to back against Melbourne City, especially at this price considering their all star attacking group will make life tough for Brisbane’s normally stingy defence.
I’ll take City but not with total confidence.
It’s a second attempt at a season opener for the Newcastle Jets having seen their Round 1 F3 Derby rained out.
As for Perth they battled unsuccessfully against Western Sydney as their A-League road trip now enters its second season.
These clubs met at the back end of last season in an Australia Cup Qualifier which was won by the Jets and while Perth has brought in reinforcements, it’s tough to back the Glory until they get the chance to return home.
Look for Newcastle to go on the attack and try to put on a show.
While both of these clubs started their seasons on a winning note, it’s fair to say they would have very different levels of confidence after 90 minutes of football.
The Victory went to Sydney and played in an entertaining, back and forth Big Blue before coming away with all three points.
As for Western Sydney they didn’t reach any great heights but did enough to beat Perth despite a handful of mistakes that a better team would find a way to punish.
With players like Nani and the emerging Nick D’Agostino at their disposal, the Victory is definitely one of those “better” sides that can take advantage of opportunities afforded to them.
Sunday’s triple header kicks off across the ditch and this has the potential to be the match of the round.
Wellington were mere minutes away from a happy homecoming against Adelaide before giving up an equaliser.
Central Coast fans were robbed of one of their few remaining chances to see Garang Kuol when their home opener got rained out and the young phenom won’t be making the trip to Wellington with national team duty rendering him unavailable here.
Wellington will also be without a key piece of their puzzle as defender Yan Sasse who was sent off for a clumsy challenge.
Despite those absences there is a lot to look forward to out of this fixture, especially with plenty of attacking talent still set to take to the pitch.
We should still be treated to a shootout however and I’ll happily take the price on the overs.
No matter which way I look at this game, I cannot split these two sides.
Macarthur were well off their best in Brisbane while Adelaide rallied late for a much needed point in Wellington.
Goals might be at a premium here with Macarthur still lacking that cutting edge despite the creativity behind the striker and Adelaide is hot and cold in the attacking third.
I’ll back each team to come away with a point.
It’s not quite pushing the panic button on Western United but I’m going to steer clear of them in the next few weeks with injuries set to rob this squad of its difference makers at both ends of the pitch.
Allesandro Diamanti and Aleksandar Prijovic missed the season opening defeat while Tomoki Imai left the game early on and those absences were telling.
Sydney were far from perfect in their opening defeat as well but I like their chances of bouncing back a lot more than those of Western United.
It’s a bit of a risk taking Sydney FC on the road but the questions surrounding the home side are just too big for me to feel comfortable with.