A-League Round 8 Tips & Preview - Victory & Adelaide collide in Original Rivalry

Read on below for the fixtures schedule and preview. Melbourne City and Macarthur FC have a bye this week due to Asian Champions League commitments.

Auckland will be confident of maintaining their spot near the top of the ladder when they face the Mariners for the third time. The Black Knights crushed Central Coast 4-1 in Gosford last season and come into this clash unbeaten in six of their seven games this term, returning to the winners circle with a comfortable 3-1 win over Wellington in the Kiwi Clasico last week. Meanwhile, the Mariners' bright start to the season has faded - they are winless in their last three games, falling 2-1 to Sydney FC at home last week after initially taking the lead.

The story of the season so far has undoubtedly been Brisbane - they've started in brilliant fashion, coming into Round 8 in second spot on the ladder. The Roar have the best defence in the competition, conceding only three goals, while they are coming off a fantastic 1-0 away win over Adelaide courtesy of a last-minute thunderbolt from Chris Long. Meanwhile, the Wanderers failed to capitalise on their momentum from beating Sydney in the derby, suffering a disappointing 1-0 loss on the road to a resurgent Perth side last week.

Blockbuster showdown on Saturday night with the first 'Original Rivalry' clash of the season. Victory are enduring a tumultuous start to the season, anchored to the bottom of the ladder after seven rounds with just one win. Arthur Diles is under immense pressure and another defeat here could spell the end of his reign at Victory. Meanwhile, Adelaide have also hit a tough patch, coming into this clash following back-to-back defeats against Wellington and Brisbane, the latter being their first defeat at Coopers this season.

Unexpected top six clash as league leaders Sydney go on the road to face a Perth side who have improved tenfold under Adam Griffiths, who has just been appointed as full-time head coach. Glory have come from nowhere to put together a three-game winning streak - their longest run in the A-League since 2021. Perth produced a shut-out 1-0 triumph over the Wanderers at home last week, backing up victories over the Jets and Macarthur on the road, while Sydney got back to winning ways after their derby disappointment, coming from behind to conquer the Mariners 2-1 last week.

Both of these teams could use a win and it's been Wellington who have enjoyed success recently in this H2H, going unbeaten in the last four meetings and winning three. Phoenix suffered yet more Kiwi derby disappointment last week, slumping to their fourth consecutive loss against Auckland, meaning they've won just two of their seven games this season. The Jets have also managed just two wins for the season and failed to back up their upset over Auckland, falling to a 1-0 loss at home to Melbourne City last week.