The final two rounds of the Isuzu UTE A-League 2023/24 regular season have a lot on the line up and down the table.
The bottom four places in the table are far from settled, meaning teams are fighting to avoid the playoff spots of the Australia Cup 2024.
The teams from eighth and above automatically qualify for the Australia Cup, but those below will have to battle in a playoff against each other to make the Cup.
Those sides will meet in the Australia Cup 2024 Final Rounds Playoffs with the team ranked 9th playing 12th and 10th taking on 11th.
We’ve examined what teams need to do in the final two rounds to avoid the playoff matches.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/aleaguemen/status/1779703783431540757
Melbourne City (7th - 33 points)
A win for City this weekend against Western Sydney Wanderers would confirm their avoidance of an Australia Cup playoff spot.
However, a couple of defeats to finish the season against the Wanderers and Western United could see them drop into ninth. This would require both Adelaide United and Brisbane Roar to win this week, and there would need to be a win either way between the pair the following week.
A draw this weekend could also be enough for City if Brisbane fail to beat Melbourne Victory.
Adelaide United (8th - 29 points) & Brisbane Roar (9th - 29 points)
Adelaide are level on points with Brisbane heading into the final two rounds, which means its all to play for to avoid ninth.
If Adelaide draw with high-flying Central Coast Mariners and Brisbane also draw with Melbourne victory or they both win, the two will have a do-or-die clash the following week.
A win for Adelaide keeps them clear of the playoff but condemns Brisbane to a playoff and vice versa.
Adelaide have a far superior goal difference to Brisbane Roar which means if the two are level on points after 27 rounds, Adelaide will stay clear.
Newcastle Jets (10th - 27 points)
Newcastle Jets face two tricky home ties to finish the season against the current top two, Wellington Phoenix and Central Coast Mariners.
They come into the final two matchweeks two points behind Adelaide in eighth and Brisbane in ninth.
This means the Jets have to rely on Adelaide and Brisbane failing to win in the remainder of the season, while they also claim six points themselves.
Newcastle’s bid to avoid a playoff could hinge on the result between Adelaide and Brisbane in the final game week.
If Newcastle beat Wellington this weekend while Adelaide and Brisbane lose, they will jump above the pair heading into the final round.
They will need to win against Central Coast the following week to guarantee they stay out of the playoff positions.
A draw for Newcastle against the Mariners is unlikely to be enough in the final week of the season.
This is because if Adelaide win against Brisbane or there is a stalemate, they will finish ninth due to their goal difference.
Western United (11th - 23 points)
Western’s competition-worst goal difference means they will struggle to avoid a playoff berth, but they could avoid playing the highest-ranked team in the playoff with a strong finish.
Two wins by decent margins by United and successive defeats from Brisbane and Newcastle to finish the season would get them to ninth, but no higher.
Even if eighth-placed Adelaide lose their final two, Western’s -19 goal difference would require big defeats from Adelaide and big wins from Western.
A defeat for Western against Perth this week would see them drop to the foot of the table.
If they beat Melbourne City the following week and Perth lose to Sydney, they will be back in 11th.
Draws in any form for United will not benefit their push up the table.
Two draws for United and at least one Perth win in their last two will leave Western in last.
Perth Glory (12th - 22 points)
Perth will finish in a playoff spot regardless of the results of their two matches; their best possible finish this season is 10th.
However, a win over Western at home this weekend would take them above their opponents into 11th.
If they beat Sydney FC the week after and the Jets lose their final two, Perth could climb to 10th, pending them overcoming their goal difference.
Needless to say, defeats in their final two games would leave Perth in 12th.
A draw and a loss could push them to 11th if Western lose both of their games as Perth have a superior goal difference.
This would be the same result if Perth finish with two draws and Western lose both.
Australia Cup 2024 Final Rounds Playoffs (A-League Men)
Matches: 9th (home) vs. 12th (away) / 10th (home) vs. 11th (away)
Dates: TBC
Venues: TBC
Kick-offs: TBC
Broadcast: Live and free on Network 10 via 10Play
