Several CommBank Matildas, including Sydney FC's Cortnee Vine and Jada Whyman, will be looking to help their sides bounce back from defeats as the incredibly even A-League Women enters round 13.
Read our preview of all of the action below.
The round begins on Saturday, 5pm AEDT as Melbourne City take on the Wellington Phoenix. City remain five points clear on top of the table but, after a disappointing loss last week to the Western Sydney Wanderers, are still not consistently playing at their best. Meanwhile, the Phoenix have been struggling after a bright start to the season – particularly away from home – and will be hoping for a win to propel them back into the top six.
At the same time of 5pm AEDT, Canberra United welcomes back 100-goal legend Michelle Heyman to McKellar Park as they take on Melbourne Victory. A win for Canberra could see them back in the finals conversation, potentially only four points away from sixth with a game in hand. However, standing in their way are a Victory side desperate to turn their season around.
Lydia Williams missed last week with a minor ankle injury, but has been named in the extended squad by Victory for the weekend – the club has stated she is a ‘day-to-day proposition’ at this stage. Alex Chidiac and Elise Kellond-Knight are expected to continue their roles in midfield, while Emily Gielnik is likely to continue her return to fitness from the bench.
Perth Glory will welcome Tameka Yallop’s Brisbane Roar to Perth on Saturday, 10.30pm AEDT (7.30pm local). The Glory remains second on the table but the gap is closing between them and the chasing pack. A win in home conditions would see them keep in touch with Melbourne City and fend off the challenges of Sydney FC and the Central Coast Mariners below them.
Yallop is expected to start for her hometown club. Three points for the Roar would see them potentially finish the round only one point out of the top six.
Sunday’s fixtures begin with Western United taking on Adelaide United at 5pm AEDT. Adelaide now sits on the bottom of the table and will be hoping that the potential return of Dylan Holmes and Chelsie Dawber can elevate them to their third win of the season.
Meanwhile, Western United narrowly fell to Sydney FC last week and will be hoping to recapture the form that saw them demolish Melbourne Victory only two weeks ago. Chloe Logarzo is in good form, with five goals this season, and is expected to start on the weekend.
Sydney FC will be looking to bounce back from their dramatic midweek defeat to the Central Coast Mariners when they take on the Newcastle Jets on Sunday, 6pm AEDT. A win could see them leapfrog the Glory in second, while a point for the Jets could see them finish the round in a finals position.
Cortnee Vine is getting closer to full fitness and may start for Sydney, while Jada Whyman will hope to continue her exceptional form by securing a seventh clean sheet of the season.
Finally, two of the biggest surprises of the competition – fourth-place Central Coast Mariners, and fifth-place Western Sydney Wanderers – will clash in Gosford on Sunday, 7.45pm AEDT. Three points would be massive for either side as they look to gain some breathing space from the massive midtable pack – as it currently stands, there are only four points between ninth and third.
Kyah Simon is still yet to appear in a matchday squad for the Mariners.
You can catch all of the A-League Women's action on 10Play or Paramount+.