Sydney FC v Brisbane Roar
Roar unavailable: Ivan Franjic, George Lambadaridis, James Donachie, Jade North, Jean Carlos Solorzano (injured)
Captaincy options: Besart Berisha, Thomas Broich, Alessandro Del Piero
With Ranko Despotovic out for 4 weeks with a knee injury a few fantasy coaches will need to be making a change in their forward line this week. It also further reduces the number of fantasy options at Sydney - and marquee man Alessandro Del Piero has not fired for the last two weeks and is under an injury cloud. Whoever replaces Despotovic as the man leading the line will be worth looking at, but we don't know who that is just yet. Keep an eye out for the team sheets Friday night. Richard Garcia has profited from a stint on the right wing, scoring in each of his last 2 games - but he needs to stay there to be considered. Terry Antonis has registered only 2 points in his last 2, but he is a mid-priced midfield option to consider. Matt Jurman, who scored last week (don't expect him to do that again - it's his first goal at A-League level), might be worth looking at as a cheap defensive option after all, assuming he can hold his spot. Again, wait for the team sheets on Friday if you're thinking of making a move. Also, consider that Brisbane have already crushed Sydney FC twice this season, winning 4-0 and 5-2; perhaps it's not the best week to bring in a Sky Blues defender.
The Roar won their second in a row last week against the Reds, with Besart Berisha scoring both goals (his first since Round 18) and Thomas Broich being robbed of a goal after the referees failed to see his long range strike had crossed the line. Broich has scored in both wins over Sydney this season, though one was while playing as a false nine in Berisha's absence. Ivan Franjic came off injured with an ankle problem and will be missing at least for this week. Considering he's been playing at right back not right wing it's as good a time as any to move him on and free up some cash in the process. But, if you want to hold onto him in the hope Mulvey will shift him to right wing, he should only be out for this week. Dimi Petratos scored a hat trick the last time the sides met; since then though, he has scored just one goal - and that was the following round.
Western Sydney Wanderers v Adelaide United
United unavailable: Cassio (injured), Ryan Griffiths (transferred to FA Sarawak)
Captaincy options: Fabio Ferreira, Cirio, Marcelo Carrusca
The Wanderers remain a fantasy conundrum thanks to Popa's rotation policy; I would not be bringing in any Wanderers players with that in mind, though Matthew Spiranovic and Jerome Polenz are probably the most likely (of the fantasy-relevant players) to line up regularly. Spiranovic missed the win over Guizhou last night, while Polenz came off the bench. Tomi Juric is back in the squad after missing last round, while Brendon Santalab will probably start after also not playing in China. Labinot Haliti and Mark Bridge both started the ACL game, the latter scoring the winner - but he's omitted for this one. The Wanderers have won just 2 games (both against Perth - who they play next week) in their last 10 A-League outings, and kept only 1 clean sheet in their last 8.
The bright spot for Adelaide last week was Jeronimo, who scored a late consolation goal. Jeronimo is difficult to recommend because he is not first choice, and has to rely on the absence of others (Bruce Djite last round, who is back this week) for game time. But when he plays, he generally does well for his price. Both of Adelaide's wide men - Fabio Ferreira and Michael Zullo (filling in for Cirio, who moved to midfield in Marcelo Carrusca's absence) - we well held by the Roar's defence; they nonetheless remain crucial to Adelaide's attacking structure. As I've said before Zullo is only a worthwhile selection if he is playing on the left wing, as he did against Roar. However, with Carrusca returning to the starting XI he'll likely shift back to left back, and Cirio retaking his spot on the wing. Carrusca has scored both of Adelaide's goals against the Wanderers this season.
Central Coast Mariners v Newcastle Jets
Jets unavailable: Scott Neville, Mitch Cooper (injured)
Captaincy options: Kim Seung-yong, Bernie Ibini, Adam Taggart
Of the Mariners' fantasy options, Liam Reddy, Kim Seung-yong, Zac Anderson, Eddy Bosnar and Storm Roux all played a full game on Tuesday night against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, while Bernie Ibini came off the bench. I'd suggest that Ibini and Reddy will start the derby, while the others are all candidates for a rest. That doesn't mean they will be benched though, as this is a crucial game for the Mariners finals hopes. Those players are the only Mariners I would be considering at the moment, and largely for their low prices. The Mariners have won 1 and lost 5 in their last 6 games, hardly the form of a finals contender. They did pick up the points in the last match against the Jets, however.
Adam Taggart was again the man for the Jets, his 11th goal of the season leading them to an impressive 1-0 win over the in-form Heart. Perhaps Taggart is beginning to find some consistency in his goal scoring exploits; previously, he had scored his 10 goals in 6 games - we need someone who will score more regularly than that. Otherwise, the Jets don't offer us much, just cheap defenders. Sam Gallaway seems the only reliable one, with Andrew Hoole being substituted before he could earn a clean sheet bonus, and David Carney coming off the bench and picking up a yellow card.
Perth Glory v Melbourne Victory
Victory unavailable: Adrian Leijer (injured), Connor Pain, Dylan Murnane (omitted)
Captaincy options: James Troisi, Gui Finkler
Perth halted a run of 4 defeats with a 1-1 draw away to Wellington, playing well in patches in the process. That said, there still isn't much in the Perth side relevant to fantasy, unless you think scorer William Gallas will continue to saunter through A-League defences as he did for his shock opener. Jack Duncan indeed started with Danny Vukovic away for the rest of the season on loan, giving us a very cheap keeper option - though one that is unlikely to pick up many points. As this week's stats round-up tells us, the Glory have not kept a clean sheet against the Victory in their last 11 meetings, so don't bank on one here. Shane Smeltz lasted only 45 minutes, and the goal he scored against the Roar (coming from a defensive mix-up) is his only strike since Round 16. He's out injured this week (and next week) too. Jack Clisby played his second straight full game last week, however like Duncan do not expect many points from the cheap young defender. Riley Woodcock has made the provisional squad after being omitted the last two weeks.
Kosta Barbarouses started and scored for the Victory in their draw with Jeonbuk, while Tom Rogic and cheap defenders Nick Ansell (who also scored) and Jason Geira all started. James Troisi came off the bench and Archie Thompson did not play, while Gui Finkler is not in the ACL squad - making him a prime target for your midfield. Finkler has also scored in both games against Perth this season. Lawrence Thomas continued in goals, suggesting we may have another cheap keeper option on our hands; that said, like Duncan and Reddy, he's not likely to keep many clean sheets, and he does not have the job security the other two enjoy. Scott Galloway has started each of the Victory's last 6 domestic games, though has returned just 5 points in that time.
Melbourne Heart v Wellington Phoenix
Phoenix unavailable: Paul Ifill, Josh Brindell-South, Leo Bertos, Louis Fenton, Reece Caira, Albert Riera (injured)
Captaincy options: Orlando Engelaar, David Williams, Mate Dugandzic, Stein Huysegems, Kenny Cunningham
The final game of Round 23 is a massive one for both sides as they attempt to stay in touch with the top 6. The Heart's loss to the Jets was their first since Round 14, and they will be hoping to repeat the 5-0 hammering they gave the Phoenix in their last meeting. David Williams and Orlando Engelaar starred that day, however both were poor in the loss to the Jets. If you think the Heart will win this, then picking Engelaar will likely produce dividends, as he picked up 8 bonus points in the Heart's last 3 wins. Mate Dugandzic registered 25 points in those 3 wins also, and is someone else to consider in the Heart midfield. Harry Kewell is not fit enough to start yet, and therefore should not be looked at for now. Jonatan Germano provides solid bench cover if you have the cash.
The bad news from Wellington is that Carlos Hernandez is struggling with a calf injury, explaining his poor performance last weekend. It's definitely a concern for fantasy coaches, whether he misses a lot of time or not, and you are quite justified in trading him. Josh Brindell-South is another Phoenix player done for the season, meaning injury replacement Shaun Timmins - yet to be added to the game by Fox - will likely get a run at left back. Stein Huysegems has scored just 1 goal in his last 3 games, however I would not be rushing to offload him just yet, unless you think the Phoenix are about to go off the rails or you have a better option in mind. Kenny Cunningham should be considered given he has scored in 6 of his last 7 games and is available for just $169k. Ultra-cheapie Michael Boxall continues to hold his spot in the Phoenix defence and likely will remain there with the Phoenix missing so many alternatives through injury.