A-League Round 7 Tips & Preview - Kiwi derby takes centre stage

Read on below for the fixtures schedule and preview.

Important game for both teams. Macarthur have been flying in the AFC Champions League 2, but they've not been making the same impact in the A-League and are coming off a disappointing 2-0 home loss to Perth last week. Meanwhile, Victory are enduring a nightmare start to the season and another defeat here could see Arthur Diles sent packing. Victory have registered just one win heading into Round 7 and have lost three on the trot without scoring. Victory will be hoping to draw on last season's memories of playing Macarthur, where they came away with a pair of 2-1 wins.

Two weeks is a long time in football. Both the Wanderers and Glory were winless a fortnight ago and under immense pressure. However, now they each come into this Round 7 showdown following back-to-back victories and looking to propel themselves into the top six by collecting another three points here. The Wanderers will be buoyed after conquering Sydney FC in the derby last week, while Glory's confidence should also be sky-high after surprise back-to-back victories on the road over Newcastle and Macarthur.

It's the second New Zealand derby in the space of a month as Auckland and Wellington collide at Go Media Stadium on Saturday. Auckland have been utterly dominant in the Kiwi derby since entering the A-League, winning all four previous meetings between the teams - including a most-recent 2-1 triumph earlier this season, despite being reduced to nine men. However, Auckland saw their unbeaten start to the season come to a surprise end in a 2-1 loss to the Jets in torrential rain last week, while Wellington notched up just their second win of the season by upsetting Adelaide at home.

The Jets have been wildly erratic since winning the Australia Cup in preseason, producing some scintillating attacking football, but also some absolutely shambolic defence. It's led to some very entertaining fixtures, but Newcastle are the toughest team in the A-League to get a read on at the moment - especially after becoming just the third team to beat Auckland FC last week. Meanwhile, City have enjoyed a successful start to the season - both domestically and in the Champions League - but they will be hoping to showcase some improvement following a relatively tame 0-0 draw with the Mariners last week.

Three of the top four sides lost last week - and that included Sydney FC after they were toppled by the Wanderers in a thrilling derby showdown. Sydney were on a four-game winning streak before that defeat and will be determined to return to the winners circle in this clash after beating the Mariners twice last season. Central Coast are performing above expectations, despite being in seventh spot on the ladder with a 2-2-2 record, holding reigning premiers Melbourne City to a draw last week.

Brisbane are without doubt the story of the season coming into Round 7. After some absolutely horror seasons, the Roar are flying high in second spot on the ladder, suffering just one defeat and possessing the best defence in the league, conceding just three goals. Brisbane are coming off a 1-0 win over Victory last week and will be hoping to translate that home form onto the road here. Meanwhile, Adelaide will be hoping that a return to Coopers will see them pick up all three points - they've won all three home games this season, but have been poor on the road, including losing 2-1 to Wellington last week.