A League Round 11

Hopefully some common sense to prevail;

Adelaide vs Gold Coast

Really expect Adelaide to be too good here. Their 2
best players returned last week (Van Dyke & Vidosic) and they looked a far
better side, drawing against a heavily favoured Melbourne Victory away from
home. Under fire coach Rine Coolen has also vowed to not change the 4-2-3-1
structure of his team for the rest of the season. It could be a very good ploy
and did get off to a good start last week. Gold Coast are really stuggling
and their last away trip against possibly the worst team in the comp was a
disaster. They are also missing Salley in midfield. He may not be the most
impressive player in the world but does offer some soildity to the midfield
which could be sorely missed away from home. Adelaide by 2 goals I
reckon.


Brisbane Roar vs Central Coast

What a pity both
teams aren't in form coming into this one. Which makes the $3.25 or $3.30
(Sportsbet) about the visitors incredible value.About the only thing
Brisbane have going for them here is the fact they really 'have the wood' on
their rivals over the past 12 months. But I really can't see that counting for
much on current form and there is nothing that the Central Coast would like more
than to exact some revenge on their bitter rivals. And its not as if the Roar
have been a far better team the last few times they met. They have just had more
self belief at the end of games and arguably a slice of luck to go with
it.

Central Coast are the form team of the competition and now really
look the part with 2 in from strikers firing. That is something they didn't have
at all last year in reality. And they have young Amini in confident mood
breaking from midfield and willing to chance his arm, shooting from a
distance.

Brisbane are backing up from a long trip to Dunedin On
Wednesday and on a quick backup here. Central Coast are fresh. Brisbane
are still likely to have Broich (is he the missing link?) and Enrique missing.
If the former does happen to play then they are back in this contest but
otherwise I think Central Coast are pretty close to specials in this. Have to
remember too that the last time these 2 met in the Grand Final it took Brisbane
117 minutes to put one past CC.

Newcastle vs Sydney

Don't like the look of this game at all. Newcastle are a far better proposition at
home than away but have hardly been inspiring of late. Sydney had a big let down
after bringing the longest unbeaten streak in Australian sporting history to an
end against Brisbane. They may have 2 classy strikers returning too and have
been dominant against Newcastle since the A-League began.Could go either
way.

Perth Glory vs Melbourne Heart

Sorry but I couldn't pick Perth to win a chook raffle despite me picking against them in their last home match against the Gold Coast. To the best of my knowledge they haven't scored a goal from open play for 270 minutes (plus injury time) and were gifted
2 penalties against Gold Coast which was pretty much the only thing that
separated the 2 sides.

Melbourne Heart are currently the 2nd best team in
the competition looking at the form guide and are playing with great confidence.
They should have a little too much flair for a disappointing Perth oufit who
might seal the fate of their coach with another mediocre display here. It is a
late game too which should play into the hands of the Melbourne outfit who may
otherwise have struggled in the Perth afternoon heat.

$3.15 about Melbourne Heart winning is probably worth a lash. The 'Draw No Bet' option may even be a better ploy as it is hard to see them being outplayed by a currently inferior opponent.

Melbourne Victory vs Wellington Phoenix


On current form this looks like a very close encounter but
Wellington have to back up and travel after their win against Brisbane in
Dunedin on Wednesday. And more importantly they will probably be missing Paul
Ifill, the one player that has made.a massive difference to them this year
since his return recently.Maybe a bit harsh but Wellington are surely ready
to implode after a pretty decent run of late. It wouldn't be the first time.
With the exception of Archie Thompson the Victory have 'flattered to
deceive' all season but there have been signs of late that things are going to
click into gear. Kewell was on song against Adelaide and very unlucky not to
provide a winning assist late in that game. Carlos Hernandez is starting to
really look good again, and he can score from anywhere when in the mood.

The problem for Victory this season has really been defensive frailty but without
the menace of Ifill it is hard to see enough concerted pressure being exerted by
Wellington to cause the Victory too many problems at the back. Roddy Vargas
should be back at the heart of defence for Melbourne too which should ensure a
bit more stability.Probably the only danger to Melbourne getting maximum
points from this game is complacency. Their home support is worth at least a
goal and it is well and truly about time that the players seized that advantage.
This could well be the 'carpe diem' game for Melbourne
Victory.

Selections in order of confidence;

Adelaide
CentralCoast
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Heart (at least to draw)