It is also important to note that the players per team cap is increased from 3 to 6 for the first two weeks of the finals, and then to 8 for the grand final.
If you have any questions on something not covered here, or just want some specific advice for your team, join me in the weekly Zeebox Live Fantasy A-League chat on Friday at 2pm Eastern - click the link at the appropriate time and join the discussion! Otherwise you can use the comments section at the bottom of the page or contact me on Twitter. You can find the full list of squads for Round 27 here.
Newcastle Jets v Adelaide United
United unavailable: Tarek Elrich (suspended), Cassio, Michael Marrone, Jon McKain (injured)
Captaincy options: Adam Taggart, Fabio Ferreira, Marcelo Carrusca
The Jets are up against it after their shock loss in Perth two weeks ago and being held by the Victory to a draw last weekend. They must now defeat Adelaide, who are still in the race for 2nd, and hope that Perth can do them a favour on Sunday. Adam Taggart remains the main man for the Jets, scoring 9 goals in his last 10 games. He and David Carney (scores of 9, 9 and 5 in his last 3 games) are the only Jets worth holding onto this week; all others can and should be offloaded if possible.
Calculations: To finish 6th, the Jets must defeat Adelaide and hope that Perth defeat Sydney, while overturning a 3-goal gap in goal difference. Otherwise, they are eliminated.
Last week, Adelaide managed to salvage a 2-2 draw with Heart despite losing Tarek Elrich to a red card and Michael Marrone to a season-ending injury. As Elrich has been suspended for two weeks, he may not play until the grand final if Adelaide finish 2nd - so it would be advisable to trade him out. Marcelo Carrusca and Fabio Ferreira scored Adelaide's goals, and they are the main Reds to keep in mind heading into the finals. Cirio may also provide some value, though his inclusion in midfield (in place of the injured Cameron Watson, who is back in the squad this week) did his fantasy chances no favours. The Reds have not won back to back away matches since November 2012 and need two other results to go their way in order to finish 2nd; so it's likely they will finish 3rd to 6th, and thus play next week.
Calculations: To finish 2nd, the Reds must first defeat or draw with the Jets. In the case of a draw, the Heart must also defeat the Wanderers, the Roar must defeat the Mariners and the Phoenix must defeat the Victory or hold them to a draw. If the Reds win, they only require draws in the Heart v Wanderers and Roar v Mariners matches; the result of Phoenix v Victory is of no consequence.
Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory
Victory unavailable: Tom Rogic, Pablo Contreras (injured)
Captaincy options: Gui Finkler, James Troisi, Kosta Barbarouses
The Phoenix have been eliminated from finals contention, so obviously I would not recommend trading in any of their players. If you have any Nix players, trade them out if you can. The Nix have a poor record against the Victory, losing 7 of their last 8; however, the last meeting resulted in a 5-0 win for the then in-form Phoenix (with the Victory also very out of form) and the Victory have not kept a clean sheet since beating Perth in Round 10. So if you are forced to play Carlos Hernandez or Stein Huysegems, it may not be the end of the world, but you must move them on next week.
The Victory's good record against Wellington (and lack of ACL distraction this week) puts them in contention for 2nd place, however as they require the Mariners, Wanderers and Adelaide to be at least held to draws in 3 other games, they are likely to finish 3rd to 6th and therefore play next week. The key men to own for Victory are their attackers; Gui Finkler, as stated here many times previously, cannot be picked in the ACL and therefore will be fully focussed on the A-League. James Troisi's 11 goals have been crucial to the Victory's season, while Kosta Barbarouses can be very damaging when in form. Alternative picks include Archie Thompson and Tom Rogic - however Rogic is injured and 'probably' 2 weeks away from a return. So don't bring him in now, and if you have him you may have to (temporarily) offload him. I wouldn't be looking at any other Victory players.
Calculations: To finish 2nd, the Victory must defeat the Phoenix and hope that Newcastle defeat or draw with Adelaide, the Heart defeat or draw with the Wanderers, and Brisbane defeat or draw with the Mariners. A draw is unlikely to be enough for the Victory to finish 2nd, as an 8 goal gap between Muscat's men and the Wanderers would need to be bridged - in addition to Adelaide and the Mariners losing, or Adelaide drawing and the Victory winning by 15 goals.
Melbourne Heart v Western Sydney Wanderers
Wanderers unavailable: Golgol Mebrahtu, Tahj Minniecon (injured)
Captaincy options: Tomi Juric
As the Heart have been eliminated from finals contention, you should not be trading in any of their players, while any Heart members of your fantasy squad should be offloaded. If needed, the likes of David Williams and Mate Dugandzic could be held onto for another week. Once finals begin, however, they must be traded out.
The Wanderers currently have 2nd position in their hands, and against a Heart side that has not won since Round 21 they must be considered favourites to finish there. So if you have Wanderers players, or intend to bring any in, expect them to be unavailable next week. Squad rotations and ACL involvement make it difficult to predict which Wanderers will be a regular presence, however Tomi Juric's importance to their Championship challenge cannot be denied. Jerome Polenz has started the last 8 A-League games and seems a safe bet, as does Adam D'Apuzzo now that he has returned from injury.
Calculations: If the Wanderers defeat the Heart, they will finish 2nd - unless the Mariners defeat the Roar and are also somehow able to bridge a 9 goal gap. If the Wanderers draw, the Mariners, Adelaide and Victory must also be held to draws or lose. If the Wanderers are defeated, they need the Mariners and Adelaide to lose, Victory to draw or lose, and Sydney to draw, lose or fail to bridge a 3 goal gap despite winning.
Brisbane Roar v Central Coast Mariners
Mariners unavailable: Marcos Flores, Adam Kwasnik, Michael Neill (injured), Michael McGlinchey (out on loan)
Captaincy options: Besart Berisha, Thomas Broich, Bernie Ibini
With top spot sewn up, we know that our Roar players will be unavailable for next week, so I'd avoid bringing any of their players in unless you expect them to rack up the points against the Mariners. However if you have any Roar players I'd prioritise trading out your squad members from eliminated teams first. Hold off trading the likes of Besart Berisha and Thomas Broich until next week, unless you've heard a murmur that they will be rested. Ivan Franjic - who returned from injury last week - is perhaps one player to consider moving out permanently, given he seems unlikely to resume on the right wing this season - and thus does not justify his large price tag.
With no ACL concerns this week the Mariners will be focused on defeating the Roar in order to claim 2nd spot. Bernie Ibini should be strongly considered, while popular midfielder Kim Seung-yong is suffering from a hamstring issue and may not play in this match. Storm Roux can be held onto given he seems to be preferred in the A-League, while Eddy Bosnar offers a similarly-priced alternative with a slightly bigger goal threat. Liam Reddy may prove valuable in the finals given his cheaper price compared to the custodians of his top 6 rivals.
Calculations: The Mariners can finish 2nd with a win or draw. In the case of a win, they only need the Wanderers to draw or lose against the Heart. In the case of a draw, the Wanderers must lose to the Heart while Adelaide and the Victory must draw or lose in their games. If the Mariners are defeated, they would need the Wanderers to be annihilated by the Heart to be any chance, and then Adelaide and the Victory would also need to lose, and Sydney lose or draw.
Sydney FC v Perth Glory
Glory unavailable: Danny Vukovic (out on loan), Travis Dodd, Scott Jamieson, Josh Risdon, Shane Smeltz (injured)
Captaincy options: Alessandro Del Piero
Sydney's fate may already be decided by the time their match kicks off - however, they currently can finish as high as 2nd, and are the only team currently in the top 6 which can be eliminated this week. It would be surprising if Sydney were defeated by Perth at home when a draw will see them finish in the 6 regardless of what the Jets do, so I'd suggest proceeding as if Sydney will finish 3rd to 6th and play next week. Unfortunately, as has been the case for most of the season, they do not provide us with many good fantasy options. Alessandro Del Piero sprang to life to lift the Sky Blues last week after 4 barren games; for those who can afford him, he's someone to look at now that the finals have essentially arrived. Ali Abbas is a serviceable midfield option, while Seb Ryall is a cheap defender who should play for at least one more week. Ranko Despotovic returns from injury this week, however he may not be ready to start, and with Sydney's spot in the finals not confirmed it might be wise to hold off on bringing him in.
Calculations: To qualify for finals, Sydney must defeat or draw with Perth, or hope that the Jets fail to defeat Adelaide, or that a gap in goal difference is maintained if they do win. To finish 2nd, Sydney must win, the Wanderers, Mariners and Reds must lose (or the Reds draw 0-0, 1-1 or 2-2 while Sydney win by 10 goals), and the Victory must be held to a draw or lose.
Perth have been out of finals contention for a while now and therefore you should have already traded out your Perth players; if not, they must go this or next week, and you absolutely should avoid bringing any Perth players into your squad. It's unfortunate given that Perth's formation change has seen them win back to back games, but it's pointless to bring in their players knowing they need to be traded back out next week.