A-League Preview: Premier´s Plate within reach for Brisbane

Brisbane Roar can seal the A-League’s Premier’s Plate this weekend but they first must win away at Sydney FC on Friday night.

A Roar victory at Allianz Stadium, combined with draws or worse to Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne Victory, would see Mike Mulvey’s men assured of top spot with four matches to play.

Regardless, the men in orange should lift the Premier’s Plate this season and they are high on confidence, after responding to back-to-back losses with consecutive wins, most recently surpassing Adelaide United 2-1.

The Wanderers have lost two on the trot in the league, and three in all competitions after going down 3-1 at home to Ulsan in the AFC Champions League in February.

Tony Popovic’s men can keep the title race alive with a win over the Reds in Parramatta on Saturday, however, they will be coming off a mid-week venture to south China to tackle Guizhou Renhe in the continental competition.

Victory also have the slimmest of chances to reel in the Roar but Kevin Muscat’s side also have Champions League football to contend with in mid-week, albeit a friendlier location – at home to Jeonbuk Motors.

However, they are not spared frequent flyer miles this week, as they then have to travel to Perth Glory on Saturday.

Perth are set to collect the A-League’s wooden spoon, as they are two points clear bottom behind the rejuvenated Melbourne Heart.

Heart’s momentum built in five straight wins was sapped by a 1-0 loss to the Newcastle Jets last time out, meaning their 11th-hour push for an unlikely finals berth looks exactly that once more.

John van ‘t Schip’s Heart remain six points outside the top six, with five matches to play, although they can get back to winning ways with a home clash against Wellington Phoenix on Sunday.

A Heart win would see them leap the New Zealand-based club into eighth.

The Jets and the Central Coast Mariners go head-to-head in the F3 derby on Saturday, and it is set to be a spicy affair given the teams are either side of the top-six bracket.

The Mariners are sixth, one point ahead of the Jets in seventh, meaning there is a lot on the line for the New South Wales-based rivals.