A-League Preview: Victory ready for stubborn Sydney

Melbourne Victory are expecting Sydney FC to be difficult to break down in the A-League on Saturday.

Kevin Muscat’s high-flying Victory side are the only undefated team left this season, after Sydney were beaten by league leaders Perth Glory.

Victory sit second to Glory, who are top by a point, heading into round 10.

Attacker Kosta Barbarouses, who missed the 0-0 draw between the teams when they met in November, said patience would be a key for his side.

“Coming here they’ll be quite tough to break down,” he said on Tuesday.

“They play very narrow between the lines. We’ve got to patient. If we play to our strength there’s no reason we can’t come away with the three points this Saturday.”

Sydney are fourth in the table in a league that has split into two, with fifth-placed Wellington Phoenix (15 points) well clear of sixth-placed Melbourne City (nine).

Graham Arnold’s Sydney have been affected by injuries, with Corey Gameiro and Ali Abbas both sidelined for the rest of the season.

Under-fire coaches could come under the spotlight once more if their teams lose.

Phil Stubbins’ Newcastle Jets are winless and second-last ahead of a tough trip to Perth on Friday.

Four draws have been enough to keep the Jets off the bottom, with Western Sydney Wanderers struggling.

But Stubbins will be desperate for his first win in charge of Newcastle.

Glory are flying at the top and coach Kenny Lowe will be confident Andy Keogh (six goals) can continue producing.

Phil Moss’ position at the helm of Central Coast Mariners may be questioned further if they are beaten by Wellington Phoenix on Saturday.

The Mariners are winless since round one and it would be a surprise if they got anything out of their trip to New Zealand.

Ernie Merrick’s men have won back-to-back games, with Nathan Burns leading the golden boot standings with eight goals.

Third-placed Adelaide United host reigning champions Brisbane on Friday, with the Roar looking to return to winning ways.

It will mark captain Matt Smith’s final game for the Roar, who sold the defender to Thai club Bangkok Glass for an undisclosed fee.

The Wanderers are in Club World Cup action in Morocco, meaning their clash against Melbourne City has been postponed until March next year.