Newcastle Jets will have their last chance of securing a place in the finals series when they travel to face fifth-placed Sydney FC on Saturday.
While the hosts are guaranteed a top-six finish regardless of the result, there is plenty to play for as far as the visitors are concerned in the final game of the main season.
Match preview
Sydney FC secured their place in the finals series last weekend with a 2-0 victory against Brisbane Roar, taking the pressure off themselves for this match.
Goals from Robert Mak and Adam Le Fondre were enough to secure the three points, and while they can technically drop down to sixth it is impossible for Newcastle Jets to overtake them.
However, Sydney FC have been ending the season in impressive fashion as they head into this fixture on the back of four games without a loss which they will want to wrap up here.
With the finals series coming up, it is important to build as much momentum as possible which is why the team still have a lot to play for in this particular match.
Sydney FC were victorious earlier in the season when they played Newcastle Jets and repeating that feat would be a strong way to end this campaign.
However, the visitors have a lot on the line in this game because three points could keep their season alive and move them up into sixth.
While a win does not guarantee that will happen as other results and goal difference will need to be in their favour, anything other than a victory would make it impossible.
Only two teams in the A-League have scored fewer goals than Newcastle Jets this season and that is something that they will need to change if they want to reach the finals series.
Arthur Papastamatis's men have failed to score more than a single goal in their previous four matches, and improving that could be crucial for them this weekend.
However, Newcastle Jets will simply need a better performance than their previous match which saw them lose 3-1 against Central Coast Mariners.
Team News
Mak has been dealing with a tight hamstring since last week and considering Sydney FC are already set to be in the finals series the decision could be that he gets rested.
However, the hosts will be welcoming back Diego Caballo into the matchday squad as he has been cleared, and getting him minutes before the next stage of the season could be crucial.
The visitors will be without both Brandon O'Neill and Carl Jenkinson for this match as both of them were sent off last weekend which will force a couple of changes to the starting lineup from that game.
Jason Hoffman will likely see himself slotting into the back four to replace Jenkinson, while Newcastle Jets have several options to fill the gap left in the midfield.
Sydney FC possible starting lineup:
Redmayne; Grant, Rodwell, Wilkinson, King; Burgess, Brattan, Caceres; Lolley, Le Fondre, Kucharski
Newcastle Jets possible starting lineup:
Weier; Aquilina, Hoffman, Jurman, Ingham; Thurgate, Al-Taay; Saito, Buhagiar, Mikeltadze; Sotirio
We say: Sydney FC 2-0 Newcastle Jets
Newcastle Jets have got the most to play for when it comes to this match, but even though that is the case it is likely going to be Sydney FC who come out on top with their quality being too much.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
