As always, if you are in need of some last minute advice on transfers or just want to chat about which players might be worth looking at over the coming rounds, feel free to contact me on Twitter or use the comments section at the bottom of the page. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated! I'll be doing a live chat on Zeebox in their A-League room on Friday afternoon at approximately 2:30pm Eastern, so keep an eye on Twitter for the announcement and then follow the link to join in! Also, if you're looking for more fantasy advice, make sure you check out this interview I did for FourFourTwo Australia, along with last year's Fantasy Premier League winner and runner-up.
Melbourne Victory v Brisbane Roar
Roar unavailable: Besart Berisha, George Lambadaridis (injured)
Captaincy options: Ivan Franjic, Thomas Broich, Matt McKay, Mitch Nichols, Kosta Barbarouses, Archie Thompson
Ange Postecoglu's final game at Victory - against his former team - looks to be a high scoring affair on paper, with both teams playing a very attacking style of football. Against Adelaide last week, Victory overcame profligacy (9 of 17 shots off target) and poor refereeing decisions to snatch a 2-2 draw from the tiring Reds. Unlike against Heart, the Victory were able to break down Adelaide once they started to sit deeper around the 60th minute, and created enough quality chances (6 of their 8 shots on target came in the last 30 mintues) to get a draw. Meanwhile, Brisbane smashed an ADP-less Sydney 4-0 despite their own star striker going off early with a hamstring issue. As we are still 2 weeks away from a shipment of magic tea from arriving, you have to trade Besart Berisha out. Downgrading him to a cheaper forward may be a sound strategy if you also own Jamie Maclaren, as fantasy coaches may be faced with a big problem once Smeltz returns to the Glory lineup. The extra cash you make from Berisha to someone like Tomi Juric could then be reinvested later on to upgrade Maclaren to another mid-priced striker like Jeronimo. It could also be used to fix problems elsewhere in your team - though of course both these strategies likely mean you won't be trading him straight back in. As for looking at who replaces him in the Brisbane line-up, I'm unconvinced that either Kwame Yeboah or Henrique will be consistent scorers at this stage, and you'll also have to trade them out once Berisha returns. Berisha to Jeremy Brockie loomed as a popular move, but price fluctuations mean that many managers will frustratingly be around $2k short.
Last season saw the Roar smash Victory 5-0 in the first game, with Mitch Nichols (now at Victory of course) earning himself a goal and man of the match honours; Berisha got 2, Thomas Broich 1 and Paartalu the other. The two teams then played out a pair of 1-1 draws in Melbourne and Brisbane; Mark Milligan, Ivan Franjic (playing right wing as he is now) and surprisingly Leigh Broxham. Though I think we'll likely see both sides get on the scoresheet, Ivan Franjic stands out as a captaincy option after showing on the weekend he is equally as dangerous from the wing as he is from midfield, and the chance of a clean sheet is a bonus if Brisbane can somehow pull that off. Broich and Matt McKay, who looked fantastic on his return, will also provide goal and assist threats from midfield and the opposite flank regardless of Berisha's absence. For the Victory, no one will be as desperate to make a point in this game as Mitch Nichols. Kosta Barbarouses might not have as much motivation as Mitch to turn it on against his old team, but he will look to impress in what should be his first start of the season after a good cameo against Adelaide. Archie of course loves a big game, so the stage may be set for him to finally turn it on after an ordinary performance at Coopers Stadium. I'd recommend Gui Finkler also, though I'm still not sure he is fit enough to start - also good news if you own James Troisi, who has been largely unimpressive despite scoring the equaliser last week. But once Finkler is 100%, consider transferring him in if you don't already own him, and try to move Troisi on if whoever is in charge of Victory moves him to the Bunnings. And speaking of the coaching change, it is difficult to say at this point whether it will affect Victory's performances or style of play. Just something else we need to monitor at this stage.
Central Coast Mariners v Adelaide United
United unavailable: Marcelo Carrusca, Daniel Bowles, Cassio, Bruce Djite (injured)
Captaincy options: Marcos Flores, Mitchell Duke
After two games the Mariners are uncharacteristically winless and yet to register a clean sheet; though Graham Arnold will be happy with their second half turnaround against Heart to earn a 2-2 draw. Marcos Flores cooly slotted two penalties before attempting to make Nickelback tolerable. Mitchell Duke again looked dangerous (4 shots, 1 shot assist) while Storm Roux (1 shot, 3 shot assists) and Josh Rose (2 shots, 1 shot assist) added to the attack by pushing up the flanks. Managers who took the punt on Flores performing at Mariners are no doubt thrilled with his return so far. No doubt he'll be motivated to continue this against his former club Adelaide. As noted above, the Reds blew a 2-0 lead against the Victory, falling away badly in the second half. United failed to register a shot on target after the 55th minute, and only managed 2 attempts at all after half time. Adelaide also did not successfully complete a single pass into the Victory box in the second half. These are worrying signs for Reds fans and owners of Adelaide players alike. Nonetheless, fantasy favourite Jeronimo scored again while Cirio - who may play centrally with Marcelo Carrusca out for the next 2 weeks - netted his first goal from the spot. Managers who chased after Fabio Ferreira's Round 1 points haul would have been disappointed with his return and performance; the former Chelsea winger not registering a shot on target and only creating a single shot opportunity. As mentioned last week, I'd be wary of jumping on the Jeronimo bandwagon as he has never scored away from Coopers Stadium in the A-League and the Reds play 5 of the next 6 away from home. The long term injury to Daniel Bowles means he needs to be traded out, perhaps for his positional rival Tarek Elrich. Excitement machine Awer Mabil may start at left wing until Carrusca returns, however I'd be wary of succumbing to the temptation of his bargain price at this stage, given his game time may again be limited in the near future and the Reds run over the next 6 games is unappealing.
Last season the Mariners swept the Reds, winning 2-1 and 3-1 in Gosford, and 2-0 in Adelaide. Duke scored a double off the bench in the 3-1, while Rose, Nick Montgomery, Michael McGlinchey, Mile Sterjovski and Daniel McBreen all found the net. Bruce Djite and Daniel Bowles registered for Adelaide. With recent history (including a 1-0 win in preseason) firmly in their favour, and playing a style that may both frustrate and expose the Reds, I'm expecting the Mariners to get their first 3 points of the season here. It's hard to look past Marcos Flores for a captaincy option in this match - no doubt he will be targeted by the Reds, but he'll also be supremely motivated to make something happen, and he's in form. Mitchell Duke is also an excellent option. I don't recommend any Reds players be considered, though if you think Jeronimo's form overrides his history, then he is a 'point of difference' option. Something to consider before trading in Mariners - and Phoenix - players is that they have a bye (and thus score no points) in Round 6. So ensure that you have sufficient cover or that you start looking to trade these players out over the next few weeks. Then start trading Mariners and Phoenix players back in before Round 11, when the teams will play twice.
Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers
Wanderers unavailable: Yianni Perkatis, Josh Barresi, Kwabena Appiah (injured)
Captaincy options: Youssouf Hersi, Jerome Polenz
After surprising many in their win against Newcastle, Sydney did a lot to reaffirm the fears many of us had about their chances this season in the awful loss to Brisbane, admittedly with ADP going off early. Sydney managed a single shot on target for the whole game (from 8 attempts), and that was in the 77th minute. They looked directionless in attack without ADP, a worrying sign if you own any Sydney players besides their marquee man. If you have ADP, I suggest holding on to him as he may yet play a role off the Bunnings against the Wanderers, and if not he should return the following week. Just make sure you have cover. If you own both ADP and Berisha, Berisha is definitely the one to trade out, and you must trade him out. Farina has indicated that Nick Carle will move up the field to perform the creative role in ADP's absence, however once Del Piero returns I expect Carle will drop back into the #6 role, and therefore is not a long term fantasy option. Meanwhile, the Wanderers disappointingly drew 1-1 at home to Wellington. As Tim Palmer's analysis shows, the Wanderers did a significant amount of their attacking down the right side, with Youssouf Hersi (3 shots, 2 on target, 1 shot assist) and Jerome Polenz (who scored his first goal, albeit from a corner) influential, though the defensive deficiencies of Kenny Cunningham likely also played a role in this right-sided bias. After a reorganisation by Wellington after 30 minutes, the Wanderers struggled, managing only 2 shots on target for the rest of the game, while the Phoenix conjured 6. Worryingly Tomi Juric only managed one shot for the whole game, though it was on target and he also assisted 2 shots.
Last season the honours were split - Sydney won the first derby 1-0 with an ADP penalty, the Wanderers won the return match at Allianz 2-0 with goals from Michael Beauchamp and Hersi, while the rubber match ended in a 1-1 draw, with ADP and Shannon Cole scoring the goals. Derbies generally in football throw up some interesting results, and neither side has looked particularly convincing so far this season. I think the Wanderers have more firepower than Sydney, especially if ADP is absent or only given limited minutes off the bench, so I'd nominate Youssouf Hersi and Jerome Polenz as captaincy options, though there are far more reliable options in other games. As he is under a big injury cloud, I can't recommend ADP be your captain this week, nor am I confident in any other Sydney player of justifying you giving them the arm band.
Wellington Phoenix v Newcastle Jets
Jets unavailable: Emile Heskey, Mitch Cooper (injured)
Captaincy options: Carlos Hernandez, Jeremy Brockie
Wellington have started the season brightly; almost holding Brisbane to a draw while understrength, then deservedly earning a point away to the premiers. Carlos Hernandez in particular has looked impressive, registering 4 shots and creating 2 chances against the Wanderers, and generally showing that he is always trying to be creative and ambitious - exactly what you want to see from your fantasy team members. Jeremy Brockie, who returned from All Whites duty against the Wanderers, started this season where he left off the last one by scoring the equaliser; Brockie also had 4 shots and created 2 chances as Carlos did. If you were looking to trade Brockie in for Berisha you are too late unless you have some cash stored in the bank, thanks to Berisha dropping slightly in price. In case you missed it in the Mariners v Reds preview above, both Central Coast and Wellington have the bye in Round 6, so be wary of loading up on their players, and perhaps look to trade a few of them out if you don't have sufficient cover. Meanwhile, the Jets sucked again, drawing 0-0 against Perth in a game so horrid my phone terminated itself to prevent me from watching most of it. Though both sides were poor, the Jets only managed 3 shots on target, to go with their 1 against Sydney in Round 1 - absolutely terrible for fantasy football. Craig Goodwin, who has provided half of the Jets shots on target this season, was frustratingly hauled off by van Egmond in the 54th minute - 6 minutes short of a clean sheet bonus. Interestingly, Newcastle assistant coach suggested cheap defender Andrew Hoole may be fielded in the Jets' front 3 against Perth to provide some spark. I would suggest waiting and seeing what happens this weekend before making a move, but it's something to watch.
Last season the Nix and the Jets shared the points across their 3 meetings, with Wellington winning 3-0 in Newcastle on the back of 2 goals from Brockie and a Paul Ifill penalty. The first meeting in New Zealand ended in a 1-1 draw, Louis Fenton (who returns from injury in this game) and Emile Heskey (still injured) finding the net; the second saw the Jets win 2-1 with goals from Adam Taggart and Michael Bridges; Brockie scored again for the Nix. Despite going undefeated in Wellington last season, I can't recommend with any confidence to make a Jets player your captain. Wellington have started well under Merrick and I think they'll get their first win here, considering also how poor the Jets have been so far. Carlos Hernandez and Jeremy Brockie are easily the standout suggestions - especially as Brockie scored 3 times against the Jets last season.
Perth Glory v Melbourne Heart
Heart unavailable: Orlando Engelaar, Dylan Macallister, Harry Kewell, Jonatan Germano (injured)
Captaincy options: (None)
The Heart participated in the worst game of Round 1; the Glory in the worst game of Round 2. What odds they will combine in Round 3 for another serving of awfulness? Fantasy coaches will be hoping that Perth will be more ambitious playing at home for the first time this season, else this could easily be 0-0 with the Heart likely looking to sit deep on the road. Owners of Jamie Maclaren will be praying the young striker gets off the mark against Heart, else he may soon be relegated to the Bunnings with the return of Shane Smeltz imminent - potentially resulting in a big problem in your forward line, given the lack of cheap options. Maclaren at least managed a better performance against the Jets than Adelaide, registering 4 shots, 3 of which were on target, and creating 2 chances. Cheapie team mate Ryan Edwards had another quiet outing, with only a shot assist to show for his game. If you own Joshua Risdon he is out for at least 7 weeks so needs to be moved on. The arrival of William Gallas may cause some problems if you own Steve Pantelidis, though Risdon's absence may give you some additional time should Panta take over at right back. Oh, and I wouldn't be rushing to make room for Gallas at this point. He'll likely come with a huge price tag, and you don't want to be spending big on centre backs. Heart meanwhile looked good for a half against Mariners, before conceding 2 penalties and drawing 2-2. David Williams, surprisingly deployed as a #10, scored 2 goals - though I wouldn't expect this type of return if he continues to play there in Kewell's absence. Michael Mifsud will make his first appearance for the Heart in Perth, having scored for Malta while away on international duty. He looms as a cheaper forward option you can count on to start, and may go under the radar while others are chasing the points of Jeronimo.
Last season the honours went the way of the home team in all three meetings; 2-0 to the Glory in Perth, and 1-0 and 2-0 to Heart in Melbourne. Gol Gol Mehbratu scored a late winner in the 1-0, while Nick Kalmar netted in the 2-0. None of the other 3 scorers are still at their clubs. I'd predict a tight game, perhaps optimistically a 1-0 win to either side; keeping in mind though that the Heart haven't won outside of Melbourne since December 2011. I'd advise looking elsewhere for a captain - no Heart or Perth players can be relied on for big points at this stage.