The Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 season rolls on this weekend and aleagues.com.au has everything you need to know ahead of Round 23.
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Macarthur FC v Newcastle Jets
Thursday April 2 – Campbelltown Sports Stadium – 7:35pm AEDT
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Current table position
Macarthur FC: 6th
Newcastle Jets: 1st
Round 22 result
Macarthur FC: 2-1 win over Auckland FC (A)
Newcastle Jets: 2-1 win over Sydney FC (A)
Macarthur did Newcastle a massive favour last week by bringing the three points back from Auckland with a 2-1 win and releasing a bit of pressure on the Jets at the top of the table.
This week, they’ll be looking to put them back under pressure with another shock win.
Macarthur’s defence proved hard to break down, only conceding in stoppage time from a corner, despite all of the late possession Auckland were allowed to have.
Newcastle bounced back from their loss to Auckland with a 2-1 win over Sydney FC, young striker Ben Gibson finding the winner in stoppage time.
A win for Newcastle could take them seven points clear on top, but Macarthur will be desperate to get at least a point out of this one to hold on to their place in the top six.
When these sides met at the start of January, goals from Lachlan Brook and Tomislav Uškok saw the points shared in a 1-1 draw.
Brisbane Roar v Sydney FC
Thursday, April 2 – Suncorp Stadium – 9:00pm AEDT
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Current table position
Brisbane Roar: 10th
Sydney FC: 5th
Round 22 result
Brisbane Roar: 2-1 loss to Wellington Phoenix (H)
Sydney FC: 2-1 loss to Newcastle Jets (H)
Sydney FC will have a new manager on the touchline this week, Patrick Kisnorbo comes in to replace the Western Sydney Wanderers bound Ufuk Talay.
Brisbane have slipped all the way down to 10th after not taking a single win from their last eight matches since the middle of January.
Sydney too have had a bit of a slide lately, with two losses in a row seeing them drop down to fifth.
Their last loss was particularly hard to take, holding league-leaders Newcastle to 1-1 until conceding in the very last minute of the match.
This match is the opportunity for Brisbane to show some fight and make a play at that last finals spot, or for Sydney to arrest the momentum and get themselves back up to third.
Sydney attacker Tiago Quintal scored the decisive goal when the Sky Blues took the win over the Roar in Round 18.
Adelaide United v Auckland FC
Friday, April 3 – Coopers Stadium – 7:35pm AEDT
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Current table position
Adelaide United: 4th
Auckland FC: 2nd
Round 22 result
Adelaide United: 4-2 win over Western Sydney Wanderers (A)
Auckland FC: 2-1 loss to Macarthur FC (H)
Adelaide had an eventful win against the Wanderers last weekend, coming from behind to win 4-2 and keep themselves in the top four.
Striker Luka Jovanović scored twice to take his tally to nine goals for the season and joint second in the golden boot race; just one goal behind outright leader, Auckland’s Sam Cosgrove.
A week after Auckland ended title rivals Newcastle’s undefeated streak, they spurned the opportunity to really ramp up the pressure when they lost to Macarthur.
Auckland announced that they’ll be without key player Francis De Vries for the next six weeks, the left-back suffering a calf injury.
We have to go all the way back to Round 3 for the last time these sides played each other; Cosgrove and Jovanović were both on the scoresheet before Louis Verstraete scored the winner for Auckland.
Central Coast Mariners v Perth Glory
Saturday, April 4 – polytec Stadium – 5:00pm AEDT
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Current table position
Central Coast Mariners: 7th
Perth Glory: 11th
Round 22 result
Central Coast Mariners: 4-1 loss to Melbourne Victory (A)
Perth Glory: 1-1 draw against Melbourne City (H)
Central Coast got off to a fast start against the Victory last weekend, with Sabit Ngor finding the back of the net within seven minutes and holding onto the lead for the first half.
Unfortunately for the Mariners, Victory came out with a very different look in their eyes after half time, turning it around completely to leave Central Coast one point outside the top six with a game in hand.
Perth still haven’t won a match since January, but they showed some real resilience to get a point late against Melbourne City last week.
Adam Taggart was cutting a frustrated figure for the bulk of the second half, seemingly unable to convert any of the Glory’s chances into goals; until he eventually got one to go in in stoppage time to equalise and become Perth’s all-time leading goalscorer.
Perth took all three points when they played the Mariners in January, Taggart, Nicholas Pennington and Tom Lawrence all scoring in the 3-0 win.
Melbourne City v Western Sydney Wanderers
Saturday, April 4 – AAMI Park – 7:35pm AEDT
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Current table position
Melbourne City: 9th
Western Sydney Wanderers: 12th
Round 22 result
Melbourne City: 1-1 draw against Perth Glory (A)
Western Sydney Wanderers: 4-2 loss to Adelaide United (H)
Western Sydney’s finals charge looks to have stalled in recent weeks, but in somewhat of a coup, they have landed manager Ufuk Talay from rivals Sydney FC. Talay won’t start until next season with caretaker Gary van Egmond seeing out the final games of this season.
The Wanderers scored first before conceding two goals, then equalised before conceding two more in the 4-2 loss to Adelaide United; this loss keeping them at the foot of the table.
Melbourne City too have been lacking lately, ceding plenty of chances and an eventual equaliser to Perth last week after hitting the front through Daniel Arzani.
However, City remain a real shot at finals, just two points back from sixth-placed Macarthur with a game in hand.
It was a 1-1 draw when these sides last met in February, City captain Aziz Behich opened the scoring in the second half before Bulgarian winger Bozhidar Kraev found an equaliser.
Melbourne Victory v Wellington Phoenix
Sunday, April 5 – AAMI Park – 3:00pm AEDT
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Current table position
Melbourne Victory: 3rd
Wellington Phoenix: 8th
Round 22 result
Melbourne Victory: 4-1 win over Central Coast Mariners (H)
Wellington Phoenix: 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar (A)
Victory weren’t as comfortable against Central Coast as the 4-1 scoreline suggests; they conceded early, went in to half time 1-0 down, hit the front early in the second half, then scored two stoppage time goals on the counter.
Spanish maestro Juan Mata and Socceroos winger Nishan Velupillay were pivotal in turning it around in the second half, the win taking Victory to third with a handy boost to the goal difference as well.
Wellington needed a late goal from Ifeanyi Eze and five good saves from keeper Josh Oluwayemi to get the win over Brisbane last weekend; the win keeping them in eighth spot, just one point out of the top six.
Victory took a 3-2 win in Wellington when these sides met at the start of Febuary, Sebastian Esposito, Velupillay and Louis D’Arrigo scored for them, with the Phoenix finding the net through Carlo Armiento and a Roderick Miranda own goal.
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