A-League: Five things to look out for this weekend
Newcastle Jets teammates Adam Taggart and Michael Bridges celebrate beating Wellington Phoenix 5-0 last weekend. Photograph: Ashley Feder/Getty Images
The Big Blue Part IIITwo months ago, on Australia Day, Sydney FC journeyed to Melbourne having not won a game in five weeks. Even though Melbourne Victory had lost 5-0 to Wellington the week before it was considered just one of those things and nobody really expected Sydney to get much more out of their visit to Melbourne than a return trip along City Link —an entirely miserable undertaking save for the laugh you get when you spy Melbourne's giant ferris wheel and think of its unparalleled views of Footscray. Yet strife-stricken Sydney humiliated Victory on their own patch, pumping five goals past the home team, each one like a kick to the cods. It was arguably Victory's lowest ebb this season and coach Kevin Muscat was under real to the Victory's (and Muscat's) credit, they've done a pretty decent job of turning things around since—especially in light of their exhausting recent schedule. In the eight A-League games they've played since Australia Day they've won five, drawn one and lost two (including last week's "gut-wrenching" extra-time loss to Brisbane Roar which undermined a high-quality performance). Add in a win and a draw from three Asian Champions League fixtures and that's a fine form line that, despite the absence of the suspended Leigh Broxham, points to home team happiness on Saturday night. But just as Victory supporters will be keen for revenge, and to see Sydney drop further out of the top six, they, and the team they support, will know nothing can be taken for granted when they play the old enemy. Game will the Mariners —and their fans— be in the mood?A little over a month ago the Central Coast Mariners had just lost four on the trot and their season was looking as unsteady as a giraffe in socks trying to circumnavigate a highly-polished parquetry floor. Since then,
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