The Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 season reaches its penultimate and aleagues.com.au has everything you need to know ahead of Round 25.
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Melbourne Victory v Newcastle Jets
Friday April 17 – AAMI Park – 7:35pm AEST
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Current table position
Melbourne Victory: 5th
Newcastle Jets: 1st
Round 24 result
Melbourne Victory: 2-2 draw against Auckland FC (A)
Newcastle Jets: 1-1 draw against Adelaide United (H)
Two weeks ago, Victory were on the climb and getting close to threatening Newcastle for the premiership.
Now after a loss to Wellington and a draw against Auckland, they’re somewhat looking over their shoulder at the chasing pack with two games left to play when it comes to securing finals football.
The Jets have had a bit of a wobble too, losing to Macarthur and snagging a draw against Adelaide, though they have maintained a three-point lead on top of the table.
Victory have been able to power their way through their defensive struggles, but the last two results have rather shone a light on the fact that they haven’t kept a clean sheet in the last 10 matches.
A win or draw for Newcastle will be enough for them to clinch the Premier’s Plate if Auckland lose their match on Sunday.
Seven goals were scored when these sides last met in Round 2, Ben Gibson and Oscar Fryer scoring a goal each to go with Alex Badolato’s hat-trick for Newcastle, while Denis Genreau and Keegan Jelacic scored for the Victory, making it a 5-2 win to the Jets.
Wellington Phoenix v Western Sydney Wanderers
Saturday, April 18 – Apollo Projects Stadium – 3:00pm AEST
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Current table position
Wellington Phoenix: 8th
Western Sydney Wanderers: 12th
Round 24 result
Wellington Phoenix: 2-0 loss to Melbourne City (A)
Western Sydney Wanderers: 2-0 loss to Sydney FC (H)
Wellington take Western Sydney to Christchurch for their last ditch effort to be involved in finals football.
A win for the Nix and a loss for Melbourne City straight afterwards will see sixth place go down to the final round, but a draw or loss for the Nix and they’ll be out of contention.
Western Sydney however need the three points to keep their hopes of avoiding the wooden spoon alive.
The Wanderers haven’t won since the last day of February and with Brisbane earning a few draws and Perth winning last week, they now sit five points behind the pack.
Wellington had a struggle against Melbourne City last weekend, not able to register a single shot on target.
Western Sydney took a 2-0 lead into half time when these sides met in February with goals from Ryan Fraser and Phillip Čančar, before Bill Tuiloma and Ifeanyi Eze scored to bring the Phoenix level at full time.
Brisbane Roar v Melbourne City
Saturday, April 18 – Suncorp Stadium – 5:00pm AEST
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Current table position
Brisbane Roar: 11th
Melbourne City: 6th
Round 24 result
Brisbane Roar: 2-2 draw against Central Coast Mariners (A)
Melbourne City: 2-0 win over Wellington Phoenix (H)
Melbourne City are in some hot form, three straight wins and unbeaten in their last five Isuzu UTE A-League matches, Aurelio Vidmar’s side have surged into the top six and look like staying there.
A point for City will be enough to guarantee them finals if Macarthur and Wellington both drop points in their games.
Brisbane meanwhile can avoid the wooden spoon with a win and potentially a draw if Western Sydney lose their match.
The Roar have been battling injuries to key players throughout the back half of the season and have been winless since mid-January, meaning finals is out of the question.
With five draws from their last seven matches though, Brisbane could still end the season looking somewhat more respectable and seventh place is still mathematically possible.
An early Max Caputo goal saw City take a 1-0 win against Brisbane when they met at the start of the year.
Sydney FC v Perth Glory
Saturday, April 18 – Allianz Stadium – 7:35pm AEST
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Current table position
Sydney FC: 3rd
Perth Glory: 10th
Round 24 result
Sydney FC: 2-0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers (A)
Perth Glory: 3-1 win over Macarthur FC (H)
A big derby win last time out for Sydney FC has seen them get right back into the battle for third, jumping both Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory.
Al Hassan Touré and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos grabbed a goal each in the win that all but guaranteed them finals football.
Meanwhile Perth grabbed their first win since January last week with their young talent stepping up to defeat Macarthur 3-1.
Gabriel Popović and Arion Sulemani scored their first ever Isuzu UTE A-League goals with Nicholas Pennington scoring his fifth of the season in a player of the match performance.
Abel Walatee’s fifth minute goal was the difference when these sides met in December, Sydney taking the 1-0 win.
Auckland FC v Central Coast Mariners
Sunday, April 19 – Go Media Stadium – 1:00pm AEST
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Current table position
Auckland FC: 2nd
Central Coast Mariners: 9th
Round 24 result
Auckland FC: 2-2 draw against Melbourne Victory (H)
Central Coast Mariners: 2-2 draw against Brisbane Roar (H)
Auckland have faltered with a loss and a pair of draws in the last three weeks; though their Premiership hopes are still very much alive and they could move level at the top heading into the final round should the Jets lose to Victory and Auckland win.
Central Coast can still make finals with two big wins, but they also need Melbourne City to lose both of their matches and Wellington Phoenix and Macarthur FC to lose their matches this weekend and draw when they play each other next week.
After going winless in their last five matches, it’s unlikely; but who’s to say they can’t do it?
These sides played out a 2-2 draw when they met in January, Oliver Lavale with a double for the Mariners and Jesse Randall and Sam Cosgrove with goals for Auckland.
Adelaide United v Macarthur FC
Sunday, April 19 – Coopers Stadium – 3:30pm AEST
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Current table position
Adelaide United: 4th
Macarthur FC: 7th
Round 24 result
Adelaide United: 1-1 draw against Newcastle Jets (A)
Macarthur FC: 3-1 loss to Perth Glory (A)
We have to go back to the middle of February to find Adelaide’s last loss, a 3-2 thriller against the Jets.
There has been a fair share of draws in that period – five in all – but it has left them in a handy fourth position, with only goal difference keeping them behind Sydney FC.
After consecutive wins against Premiership rivals Newcastle and Auckland, Macarthur spurned the chance to put some real pressure on Melbourne City for that final spot in the top six when they lost to Perth.
Now the Bulls need a win here and next week, with Melbourne City or Melbourne Victory to lose both of their matches.
Macarthur last played Adelaide in Round 2, taking a 2-1 victory with goals from Liam Rose and Dong-Won Ji. Johnny Yull was on the scoresheet for Adelaide.
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