The Victory are now four points adrift of the top six, after letting a two-goal advantage slip against Sydney (sixth place) at AAMI Park last Thursday and will be well and truly behind the eight-ball in terms of finals series qualification should they fail to pick up all three points on offer against their lowly opponents in Tasmania. The last time these two sides met Melbourne finished on top in a 3-2 thriller at home back in late November, thanks to a Carlos Hernandez winner ten minutes from time.

United come into this one on the back of a 10-day break, after their Friday night home fixture against runaway league leaders Central Coast was postponed due to bad weather, with this clash their last chance to register a win in the month of January, having claimed just two points from five games since Boxing Day. Dutch utility Paul Beekmans – who has spent the past fortnight in his native country – has played his last match for the club, after he was released from his contract on compassionate grounds over the weekend.

Tip - Expect a desperate Melbourne outfit to notch-up their first win under new coach Jim Magilton in this one. Back the Melbourne Victory option in the head-to-head market, which is paying an even $2.00.

The Glory are coming off their best performance of the season – and possibly their A-League history – following last Sunday’s 4-1 thumping of Melbourne Victory in front of a boisterous home crowd at NIB Stadium. Former Adelaide captain Travis Dodd is battling an abdominal strain as he hopes to line up against his ex-club for the second time this season, while defender Bas van den Brink is in doubt after suffering a cork against the Victory.

United are four points off sixth place Sydney – five points off Perth – with nine regular-season matches remaining, after letting a one-goal lead slip against Newcastle in Bathurst midweek, as the match ended in a 1-1 draw. Midfielder Zenon Caravella is hopeful of returning from a groin strain which kept him out of Wednesday’s clash against the Jets.

The Glory have won four of the past six clashes between these two, however they’ve lost on their last two trips to the city of churches.

Tip - The reds have been involved in four draws from their past seven matches, while Perth are unbeaten in five, so this is likely to be a tightly-fought contest. Back the Draw in the head-to-head market, which is paying $3.35 with Sportingbet.

The Phoenix followed-up their Round 15 win over Gold Coast at Skilled Park with an upset 1-0 win over Newcastle last Friday night, thanks to a second-half strike to defender Manny Muscat, which was his first ever goal in the A-League. Ricki Herbert’s side have now shot to third on the ladder with 27 points and appear almost certain to take part in their third consecutive finals series. Muscat will miss the match, having been granted leave on personal grounds, while attacking midfielder Nick Ward is rated a 50-50 chance.

The Heart are a point behind the Phoenix in fourth place, with their season seemingly stalling after they have picked up just two competition points from their past five encounters, including last weekend’s 1-1 draw at home to Brisbane. Midfielder Wayne Srhoj is a strong chance to return from a month-long quad injury, while mid-season signing Paul Reid could make his debut for the club after spending the past two weekends playing as an over-age player in the National Youth League.

Tip - Back the Melbourne Heart/Draw option in the HT/FT Double, which – at $15.00 even – is good value in this one.

Ange Postecoglou’s men currently sit 11 points behind the Mariners in second spot, with each side having played 18 matches. The Roar almost certainly need to win at least eight – if not all – of their remaining nine games to have a realistic hope of claiming back-to-back Premiership Plates, following last weekend’s 1-1 draw away to Melbourne Heart last weekend. Key striker Besart Berisha – who has netted 11 goals so far this campaign – will miss his first match of the season as he serves his belated suspension.

Following their midweek draw against Adelaide in Bathurst, Newcastle are now winless from their past four starts and are two wins outside the top-six as a result. Their depth will be tested as they play their third game in eight days, which is likely to see coach Gary Van Egmond bring in some fresh legs to cope with Brisbane’s high intensity. The Jets haven’t beaten the Roar in just over two years, but turned out arguably their best performance of the season the last time these two teams met back in Round 7, with a late James Meyer goal proving the difference.

Tip - Despite having been limited to a total of four goals in their last three matches, the Roar’s attack has threatened to cut loose in each of those games and could well romp home to victory against the Jets in this one. Back Brisbane to win by 3-1 in the Correct Score market, which is paying an even $11.00.

After stretching their ominous unbeaten run to 15 matches, Central Coast are now a whopping 26 points clear of United – who have played one less game to date – and in an almost insurmountable position to take out the Premiership Plate (first past the post), with reigning champions Brisbane 11 points adrift of Graham Arnold’s men in second spot. Arnold is unlikely to make any changes from the side that came from behind to defeat Adelaide 3-2 at home last Saturday afternoon.

Gold Coast were on the opposite end of a come-from-behind result last weekend, having netted first away to Sydney before conceding two late goals from imports Karol Kisel and Bruno Cazarine. Dutch striker Maceo Rigters returns from his one-match absence due to an ankle injury, as Miron Bleiberg’s side seeks to register their first win since their Boxing Day victory over the Roar.

United have only managed one win from their last seven head-to-head encounters against the Mariners – which came over two years ago in November 2010 – however four of those matches ended in draws.

Tip - Back the Draw/Central Coast option in the HT/FT Double market, which is paying $4.50 with Sportingbet.

Melbourne were dealt a serious blow to their playoff chances on Sunday afternoon in Perth, with the Glory racking up their highest goal total of the season in the 4-1 win over Jim Magilton’s side. The seventh place Victory are now four points adrift of Sydney (sixth) with a game in hand, and still looking for their first win under their new coach, but just how the players respond to the Northern Irishman’s most recent post-match comments that they need to “have a look in the mirror” will be interesting to see. Fringe Socceroo defensive utility Mark Milligan has signed a loan-deal with Melbourne that will see him at the club for the rest of the season, however the Japanese-based player is unlikely to line up on Thursday.

The sky blues snapped a four-match losing streak with their 2-1 home win over bottom place Gold Coast on the weekend – thanks to a last-minute winner to Brazilian striker Bruno Cazarine – to ease the pressure on 2009-2010 championship winning coach Viterzslav Lavicka, who is off-contract after the first stage of this year’s Asian Champions League.

Tip - Four of the last five encounters between these two teams have ended with the scores even, so don’t be surprised to see another stalemate in this one. Back the Draw in the head-to-head market, which is good value at $3.40.

The reds suffered their first loss since John Kosmina took control of the managerial reigns in mid-December – going down 3-2 to runaway league leaders Central Coast at Bluetongue Stadium last weekend, having led 2-1 at half-time. United are in eigth place on the ladder – four points behind sixth-place Sydney with a game in hand – and can’t afford too many more slip-ups if they hope to play a part in the finals series.

The Jets were lack-lustre in their 1-0 loss at home to Wellington last Friday night and, as a result, now sit in ninth place on the the table with 18 points, having missed an opportunity to jump into seventh place ahead of both Adelaide and Melbourne Victory. Gary Van Egmond’s side has no fresh injury concerns, however the former A-League Coach of the Year may still opt to make changes as he searches for some much-needed spark in the attacking third.

Tip – The Jets are still yet to register a win on the road this season and they are unlikely to do so against the reds in this one. Back the Adelaide/Adelaide option in the HT/FT Double market, which is paying $3.10 with Sportingbet.

Just three competition points currently seperate the two sides – with the Glory having played one more match than the Victory – who played out a now almost customary thriller in their last meeting back in Round 7, as Perth fought back from a two-goal deficit with a man down to claim a late 2-2 draw at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium. The past seven head-to-head encounters between the two teams have yielded a combined total of no less than 26 goals, with both sides having registered three wins apiece.

The Victory come into this one on the back of a nine-day break, following their 1-1 draw at home to Adelaide last weekend, while it will be Perth’s third game in just eight days – the last of which having been played in scorching temperatures in Sydney’s west. Glory defender Bas van den Brink could join a long casualty list after suffering a corked leg in the dour stalemate against the sky blues.

Tip - The Victory have shown plenty of spark up front during their last two games – which have arguably been the best two performances of star off-season recruit Harry Kewell to date – as their attacking quandrant (also including Archie Thompson, Danny Allsopp and Carlos Hernandez) begins to hit its straps. Back the Melbourne Victory by 2+ Goals option, which is paying an even $6.00.

The sky blues currently have a tenuous grip on sixth spot, with Melbourne Victory, Adelaide and Newcastle – who all have a game in hand on Sydney – ready to pounce, should Viterzslav Lavicka’s men fail to claim maximum competition points against United. Their dour display in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at home to Perth was hardly the response that Sydney fans wanted to see, following last weekend’s heart-breaking defeat to Brisbane in which they let a 1-0 injury-time lead slip away. Key Dutch defender Pascal Bosschaart returns from a one-match suspension, which will likely see Sebastian Ryall drop out of the starting side.

Gold Coast are currently four points adrift of their nearest rivals after last Sunday’s 1-0 loss at home to Wellington, which came in unfortunate circumstances, with Miron Bleiberg’s men having largely dominated proceedings prior to Tim Brown’s late header, which sealed all three points for the visitors. Striker Dylan Macallister is out after suffering a serious hamstring injury against the Phoenix, while Dutchman Paul Beekmans is also absent, having been granted leave on personal grounds.

Tip - The visitors are paying $4.10 for the win in the head-to-head market, which is exceptional value given Sydney’s current form and the fact they are coming off a midweek match played in searing heat. Back Gold Coast to register their fourth win of their 2011-2012 campaign.

The impressive mid-season run of John van’t Schip’s side – which saw them register five wins on the trot – has well and truly stalled since the beginning of the new year, with the second-year club having picked up just a point from their past four encounters, culminating in their 1-0 loss at home to league leaders Central Coast midweek. Former Adelaide mainstay Paul Reid signed a short-term contract with the Heart during the week, but the industrious midfielder won’t be available for selection for Saturday’s match, with the hosts still desperate to fill the void left by their injured skipper and playmaker Fred.

The Roar will be confident of claiming back-to-back wins for the first time since Round 8, following their much-publicised, sensational come-from-behind win at home to Sydney last weekend. The ugly aftermath to that match, involving Brisbane’s star striker Besart Berisha and sky blues defender Pascal Bosschaart, has resulted in the Albanian international receiving a one-match suspension from Football Federation Australia for a code of conduct breach. However Berisha may still take his place in Ange Postecoglou’s run-on side on Saturday, due to the appeals process which allows the club to delay the ban for up to seven days prior to responding to the FFA.

Tip - Expect the Roar’s star import Thomas Broich to have a big influence on this one, following his impressive 30 minute display off the bench in his comeback game against Sydney last Saturday. Back the Brisbane/Brisbane option in the HT/FT Double, which is paying $3.50.