Catch up on the Isuzu UTE A-League Team of the Week, powered by Opta.
The Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 season continued with plenty of entertainment and drama over the weekend.
Round 22 saw Newcastle Jets extend their lead at the top of the Isuzu UTE A-League ladder after defeating Sydney FC.
However it’s Melbourne Victory superstar Juan Mata who was this week’s top points scorer after a brilliant performance helped Melbourne Victory defeat Central Coast Mariners 4-1 at AAMI Park.
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This season, Opta will power the Isuzu UTE A-League Team of the Week using Opta Points – a comprehensive player metric that evaluates a player’s overall contribution to the game. Each Monday, the Isuzu UTE A-League Team of the Week will be displayed in a 4-3-3 formation, highlighting the best-performing players.
*Editor’s Note: The Team of the Week features matches played from Monday to Sunday – some teams may play more than once.
Mata is joined in the three-man midfield by Melbourne Victory teammates Nishan Velupillay and Denis Genreau, both of whom played a pivotal role in helping Victory move up into third on the ladder with their 4-1 win.
This week’s front three features three goal scorers who all helped their side secure important results in Round 22; Adelaide United’s Luka Jovanovic scored to help the Reds defeat Western Sydney 4-2, Ifeanyi Eze bagged the winning goal as Wellington Phoenix defeated Brisbane Roar whilst Adam Taggart became Perth’s all-time leading A-League men’s goalscorer with his strike in the 1-1 draw with Melbourne City.
Melbourne City duo Aziz Behich and Nathaniel Atkinson make up two of this week’s four man defence with Newcastle Jets defender Mark Natta and Adelaide United’s Panagiotis Kikianis the other two players selected.
Finally, your goalkeeper in this week’s Team of the Week is Perth Glory shot stopper Matt Sutton, who helped Glory seal an important points against City.
Opta Points is a system where points are given to players for certain on-field actions. Players who complete the full game duration on the field typically end up with a point total ranging from 10 to 40 points. (View the full breakdown of Opta Points below).
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Explained: Opta’s Team of the Week using Opta Points
The scoring system distinguishes only between field players and goalkeepers, assigning the same number of points to all field players for corresponding actions. A distinctive feature of this system is its exclusive focus on in-game actions, refraining from awarding points for post-game performances, such as securing a victory or allocating bonus points for maintaining a clean sheet.
Positive actions (goals, passes, tackles, etc…) will add to a player’s score and, conversely, negative actions (cards, own goals, goals conceded) will reduce a player’s points total. Theoretically, a player’s points value is unlimited, and players can conclude a game with negative points. However, players who complete the full game duration on the field typically end up with a point total ranging from 10 to 40 points.
Goals, Shots on target, shots off target, blocked shots, own goal, assists, passes, crosses, tackles, interceptions, fouls won, fouls conceded, offsides, yellow cards, red cards, goals conceded, penalty won, saves, penalty saved are included in Opta Points.
