With only three rounds left in the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League season, the stakes have never been higher.
Not only is the Premier’s Plate still in contention, alongside a coveted place in the AFC Champions League for the top Australian finisher, but several clubs are also competing fiercely to secure their positions in the finals.
Adding to the excitement, there are automatic Australia Cup spots up for grabs and the race for the Golden Boot promises to bring further intrigue as the regular season winds to a close.
As we approach the conclusion of what has been another thrilling season of the Isuzu UTE A-League, here’s the current picture of the competition.
The Premiership
Although Auckland FC’s seven-point lead has decreased in recent weeks, they are still on track to secure silverware in their inaugural season.
As it stands, they are currently four points clear of Melbourne City as we enter Round 27 of the Isuzu UTE A-League. However, that lead may shrink to three on Thursday night if Western United can rebound from their recent defeat to overcome Brisbane Roar.
Nonetheless, while the Black Knights would undoubtedly prefer to play before the other contenders this weekend, Auckland understands that a victory against Melbourne Victory in Round 27 will bring them closer to claiming the Premier’s Plate, regardless of other results.
Conversely, if results do not favour Steve Corica’s side this weekend, they could find their lead at the top reduced to just one point, with only two games remaining, as Melbourne City emerges as the principal threat to their position.
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Currently in second place, City will face the unbeaten Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday night at CommBank Stadium, who are firmly ensconced in the top six.
Not entirely out of contention, Western United sit four points behind the league leaders. If they win this weekend and Auckland falters, a climactic final-round clash between Western United and Auckland FC at Ironbark Fields could ensue.
While unlikely, it’s noteworthy that if both Melbourne City and Western United lose this weekend and Auckland triumphs, Steve Corica’s team would be crowned Premiers.
Auckland FC: Melbourne Victory (A), Perth Glory (H), Western United (A).
Melbourne City: Western Sydney Wanderers (A), Adelaide United (H), Sydney FC (H).
Western United: Brisbane Roar (A), Sydney FC (H), Auckland FC (H).
The current top six ahead of Round 27.
AFC Champions League Spot
Beyond the allure of silverware, there’s another incentive for this season’s highest-finishing Australian club in the Isuzu UTE A-League: a spot in the prestigious AFC Champions League Elite for the 2025-26 season.
If an Australian team overtakes Auckland FC to claim the Premiership, they would also secure a position alongside Asia’s football giants in the ACL Elite.
Should Auckland FC seal the Premier’s Plate, the second-placed team will claim the AFC spot instead, as the Black Knights belong to the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and are therefore ineligible for the AFC club competition.
However, two other sides currently in the top six still harbour hopes of snatching a lucrative second-place finish.
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At present, Melbourne City (2nd) are leading the charge, with Western United (3rd) closely trailing. Alen Stajcic’s Western Sydney Wanderers currently sit in fourth after a 2-0 victory over Western United last weekend, closing the gap to two points behind John Aloisi’s squad and four points off second-placed Melbourne City.
Equal with the Wanderers on 39 points, but fifth due to an inferior goal difference, is Melbourne Victory.
This season, simply qualifying for the AFC Champions League Elite nets clubs USD$800k (approximately AUD$1.27m).
Auckland FC: Melbourne Victory (A), Perth Glory (H), Western United (A).
Melbourne City: Western Sydney Wanderers (A), Adelaide United (H), Sydney FC (H).
Western United: Brisbane Roar (A), Sydney FC (H), Auckland FC (H).
Western Sydney Wanderers: Melbourne City (H), Newcastle Jets (A), Macarthur Bulls (A).
Melbourne Victory: Auckland FC (H), Macarthur Bulls (A), Newcastle Jets (H).
Top Six Race
While Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne Victory aren’t guaranteed a finals berth just yet, it would require quite a turn of events for them to miss out.
Currently on 39 points with three games remaining, both sides can secure their spots in the Finals Series with wins this weekend, provided Sydney FC and Adelaide United don’t capitalise on their opportunities.
With both the Wanderers and Victory likely to participate in the finals, only one spot may remain in the current top six.
Currently, that coveted sixth spot is occupied by Sydney FC.
Ufuk Talay’s team squandered a two-goal lead against league leaders Auckland FC last round, and now find themselves five points adrift of fifth-placed Melbourne Victory.
Sydney FC will play their last home game of the season this weekend against Newcastle Jets (9th) before embarking on two challenging away fixtures against Western United and Melbourne City to conclude the regular season.
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A point behind the Sky Blues in seventh place is Adelaide United. Despite still being in contention for a finals spot, Carl Veart’s team is on a miserable run, having lost their last four matches and not won in eight.
Macarthur Bulls, currently eighth, are also in the mix for that remaining finals spot, just two points shy of sixth-placed Sydney FC as they face struggling Central Coast Mariners this weekend, who suffered a heavy 6-0 defeat in the recent F3 Derby.
Sydney FC: Newcastle Jets (H), Western United (A), Melbourne City (A)
Adelaide United: Wellington Phoenix (H), Brisbane Roar (A – rescheduled midweek fixture), Melbourne City (A) – *The Reds have a bye on the final weekend of the season.
Macarthur Bulls: Central Coast Mariners (A), Melbourne Victory (H), Western Sydney Wanderers (H).
The Fight for Automatic Australia Cup Spots
With the Isuzu UTE A-League now featuring 13 clubs after the introduction of Auckland FC, the qualification for the 2025 Hahn Australia Cup will undergo some changes next season.
Previously, the 12 clubs in the Isuzu UTE A-League competed for 10 Australia Cup positions, with the top eight finishers claiming a guaranteed place in the Round of 32. The bottom four clubs then partook in playoffs to secure the remaining two spots: the ninth-placed team faced the twelfth, while the tenth played the eleventh.
With the addition of Auckland FC, the league will now have 11 spots in the 2025 Australia Cup, and the playoffs will be modified to take place during this year’s Finals Series to ensure teams are at full fitness.
The remaining 21 slots in the Round of 32 will be allocated to member federations across Australia as follows:
- Football Victoria: Four spots
- Football New South Wales: Four spots
- Football Queensland: Four spots
- Football South Australia: Two spots
- Football Northern New South Wales: Two spots
- Football West: Two spots
- Football Tasmania: One spot
- Football Northern Territory: One spot
- Capital Football: One spot
Golden Boot
The chase for the Golden Boot is heating up, with three rounds remaining and dominated by emerging Australian talent. Before Round 27, four young Aussies are leading the pack:
1st: Adrian Segecic – Sydney FC: 12 goals, 20 years old
=1st: Archie Goodwin – Adelaide United: 12 goals, 20 years old
3rd: Nicolas Milanovic – Western Sydney Wanderers: 11 goals, 23 years old
=3rd: Noah Botic – Western United: 11 goals, 23 years old
5th: Patryk Klimala – Sydney FC, 10 goals, 26 years old
Despite being known as a super sub, Sydney FC’s Adrian Segecic has surged to the top of the Golden Boot standings, now tied with Adelaide’s Archie Goodwin after netting two impressive goals against Auckland FC in his last outing.
“I don’t think we’ve seen this level of talent for a while in Australian football,” remarked retired Socceroo Tommy Oar on Total A-Leagues.
“All these young players in those key attacking positions are breaking through together. The great thing is that instead of just one or two, there are many of them, which pushes each other to excel.”
“They are all vying for the Golden Boot and aiming to become the next big name in the Socceroos.
“It’s fascinating to see this competitive spirit drive them, even if they are not technically teammates right now, they could potentially team up in the future.”
Though Segecic has seen less game time than Goodwin this season, if players finish level on goals, the award will be shared at the season’s end.
In third place is Western Sydney Wanderers’ Nicolas Milanovic, enjoying a standout season with 11 goals alongside Western United’s Noah Botic.
Not to be overlooked is Sydney FC’s Patrik Klimala, who, at 26, is the elder statesman of the group, confident he can finish ahead of the younger competitors, given the attacking support available at the Sky Blues, including Douglas Costa, Joe Lolley, and the aforementioned Segecic.
If any of Botic, Goodwin, Milanovic, or Segecic claim the Golden Boot, they will be the first Under-23 player since Adam Taggart in the 2013-14 season to achieve an outright Golden Boot title in the history of the Isuzu UTE A-League.
Trailing the top five contenders for the Golden Boot is an extensive list of players, with Newcastle’s Eli Adams, Western’s Hiroshi Ibusuki, Sydney FC’s Joe Lolley, Phoenix veteran Kosta Barbarouses, and Macarthur winger Marin Jakolis all having found the net nine times this season.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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