It was an impressive tipping week from David Shilovsky last round. His four from six was top of the pops and Mike Tuckerman’s lead has been halved at the arrowhead of the ladder.
There are two midweek matches to savour. Perth Glory will be out for a second consecutive win when they host Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday night and Wellington welcome Sydney FC on Wednesday in a match the home side cannot afford to walk away from without at least a point.
Good luck with your tips for the round and be sure to enter them in the sheet below to have a say in the solidly performing voice of the people. Here are the selections of the panel around two important matches with significant ramifications for the teams looking to get their seasons back on track.
Facebook
Twitter
Whatsapp
Reddit
Email
Share
More Football
-
Semi-final berth on the horizon for Sky Blues as clinical Klimala seals historic ACL Two win
-
‘Performance of my life’: Liverpool star’s insane display sets up ‘smash and grab’ – ‘he’s the best in the world’
-
A-League tipping: Round 22 – End is nigh for Mariners and Nix, City’s shot at six points
-
Amid Trump’s pro-Putin pivot, will the AFC face Russian loophole dilemma?
-
Arsenal make history with ‘statement win’, Madrid derby perfectly poised, Villa heading into quarters
Football
Mike Tuckerman
Western Sydney, Sydney
Can lightning strike twice in Perth? Glory cracked their first home win of the season with that 1-0 victory over Auckland, and they’ll be fired up for a visit from a Wanderers side that doesn’t always travel well. The latter will have had 10 days off after drawing 2-2 with Victory in Melbourne. They may be a little ring-rusty, but should have the firepower to record all three points.
Giancarlo Italiano is in a bit of a jam following Wellington’s latest 2-1 defeat to Adelaide United. The problem for Chiefy is that his squad is clearly not as strong as it was last season, with the highly-rated tactician forced into plugging several major gaps. Unfortunately for the Phoenix, they come up against a Sydney FC side growing in form. I’m tipping another away win.
Stuart Thomas
Western Sydney, Wellington
Well done to Perth for the great win against Auckland last Saturday. Now the battle is to recover and go again against a Wanderers team that is well rested and hunting a spot in the top six. Logic says the visitors have the legs and rest to win it, but has the Glory finally turned the corner? No.
Giancarlo Italiano is under immense pressure as the Phoenix drift further from the top six. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Sydney finally found a high gear against the Mariners on Saturday night and will look to put Wellington to the sword whilst they are low on confidence. It simply must end now for Giancarlo Italiano’s team, otherwise the season is edging ever closer to a failed one. The home side to lift and probably snatch a point, but I’ll tip them for the stunning upset.
David Shilovsky
Western Sydney, Sydney
The two big Sydney clubs will get the job done in this mini round. Western Sydney need to get back to winning ways after a couple of games without three points, and should be too classy for Perth in the west.
Wellington are mired in some disappointing form and with Ufuk Talay able to call on a number of attacking threats to rotate his squad if necessary, I can’t see the Nix winning.
Andrew Prentice
Western Sydney, Sydney
I took the Perth bait once. Yes, their win over Auckland was gritty and impressive but doing it in consecutive games has eluded the Glory all season. Despite having to make the trip across the Nullarbor, the Wanderers have the advantage of a rest on the weekend. They also have firepower, something Auckland haven’t had despite their great start to A-League life. The Wanderers will be hard for a beleaguered Perth defence to keep out.
Speaking of letdowns, Wellington have totally failed to click this season. After last campaign’s heroics, “Chiefy” Italiano has problems at both end of the pitch. Sydney are the league’s top scorers and while they don’t mind conceding, they can bring on a sub like Adrian Segecic and get a hat-trick out of him.
Wellington better start building their wall pretty soon (and if they get Mexico to pay for it, their salary cap will look good) because the Sky Blues are looking ominous.
Texi Smith
Perth, Sydney
Another home game for the long-suffering Perth Glory fans on Tuesday, and they will be rewarded again with three points, as Adam Taggart goes goal-crazy. An unusually defensive Western Sydney team get it all wrong and invite the Glory to run at them.
An incredible evening when every shot goes in for the hosts sees them build an impressive three-goal lead before Brandon Borrello single-handedly brings the Wanderers to within touching distance, but it’s too late.
A midweek fixture for Wellington Phoenix, and their depleted visitors fail to turn up for what should be a close game. Joe Lolley scores from close range to equalise Kosta Barbarouses’ opener against his old club, and from then on it’s all Wellington.
As always, get involved as part of The Crowd and take on The Roar’s experts using the form below.