Aside from the two draws in Round 20, David Shilovsky and I tipped well last week and were the cream of the crop when it came to tipping success. This week looks nothing short of a nightmare for both the panel and the people out there attempting to embarrass us.

A desperate Wellington must beat Melbourne City on Friday afternoon, the Mariners are in a similar position against Western United a few hours later and Adelaide face a mighty tough trip to the powerful Auckland on Saturday afternoon.

Victory will be strong favourites against Brisbane in a match that follows the clash across the ditch and Sydney and Western Sydney will enter as favourites against Macarthur and Perth respectively, in the final two matches of the round.

Good luck with your tips and be sure to enter them in the sheet below to have a say in the faltering voice of the people. Here are the tips and predictions of the panel heading into a crucial weekend of action.

Mike Tuckerman

City, United, Auckland, Victory, Draw, Wanderers

Wellington were left reeling after that 6-1 defeat to Auckland last weekend, with the Phoenix second-best in every department. They’ll hope to bounce back quickly against a City side that had to fight hard for a share of the spoils in the Melbourne Derby. With the visitors looking to sure up their top six position, I suspect they’ll come away with all three points.

Central Coast Mariners were blown off the park by Western Sydney last time out, and they won’t relish a visit from a Western United side that has moved into third. The Mariners look like they’ve finally run out of steam under Mark Jackson – who may not be at the club beyond this season. The green-and-blacks have been decent enough on the road, so they’ll win this one.

It has all fallen apart for the Mariners in Season 20 of the A-League. (Photo by Scott Gardiner/Getty Images)

Shots fired. It’s hard to see how Auckland FC don’t romp home with the Premier’s Plate after thrashing Wellington 6-1. They can take another huge step towards it with a win over an Adelaide United side missing a number of key players. The Reds were never at the races in Tarneit, and they’re unlikely to get anything from this trip to the City of Sails.

Where did it all go wrong for Brisbane Roar? They started the season in a bullish frame of mind, but a 3-1 defeat to the Newcastle Jets has them on track to equal the New Zealand Knights for the worst season ever. They’re not actually that bad a side, but appear incapable of putting together a complete 90 minutes. Expect Melbourne Victory to take full advantage. 

Macarthur have only recorded one win in five, and they’re coming off a bye last weekend. That said, they always fire up for a visit from Sydney FC, with both of these sides fighting for a spot in the top six.

Sydney FC have struggled to record wins themselves lately, and they’ve got the AFC Champions League 2 to contend with. It’s hard to separate these two sides here.

A new era of the UEFA Champions League is here, only on Stan Sport.

Have the Wanderers finally played themselves into form? They dismantled the Mariners 4-0 in Gosford last weekend, but it would be just like Alen Stajcic’s side to follow that with a dismal performance here. Perth Glory were somewhat fortunate to hold on for a scoreless draw against Sydney FC, but they’re never the best of travellers and should come unstuck in this one.

Stuart Thomas

Wellington, United, Auckland, Victory, Sydney, Western Sydney

I’m not really sure why I’ve decided to tip Wellington against City on Friday afternoon. Perhaps a home crowd might lift them? A bit of a guess really. The Mariners are one loss away from disaster, just like Wellington, and simply must beat Western United. I cannot see how they do it against such an impressive and improving side.

Adelaide stank last weekend and have injuries and absences to deal with. Let the Auckland show roll on as the lead extends further at the top of the ladder. Anyone tipping Brisbane Roar has simply lost their mind. They aren’t a rabble, just nowhere near the consistent quality required to win matches in the A-League.

Adelaide coach Carl Veart has some serious issues to deal with heading into the final third of the season. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Macarthur have had an unsettled few weeks and despite a little fatigue threatening, Sydney FC should take advantage of a team now without its most influential player. I told everyone the Wanderers were the real deal a few months back and they have loomed into serious contention. It is great to see and they should make short work of the travelling Glory in Sydney.

David Shilovsky

After a loss like last week’s derby demolition at the hands of Auckland, it remains to be seen how much fight the Nix players have in them. I can’t see them defeating City, which will kill off their finals hopes.

Similar to Wellington, it’s last chance saloon for Mariners when they host Western United on Friday evening in Gosford. United are in much better form and could end the champions’ title defence.

Adelaide travel across the ditch to face the high-flying Auckland. It’ll be a tough test for the Reds with Steve Corica’s men seemingly on their way to a well-earned trophy in their first campaign.

Victory fly north and take on Brisbane Roar in Saturday’s middle game in a pretty cut and dried contest. Brisbane fans will probably just want this season to conclude at this point.

A Sydney derby of sorts with Macarthur welcoming Sydney to Campbelltown shapes as an interesting clash. Ufuk Talay will have an eye on next week’s continental commitments but needs to pick up something from this game, too.

Wanderers should get the job done at home against Perth to further establish themselves as a top-six side.

Andrew Prentice

City, United, Auckland, Victory, Macarthur, Western Sydney

It is difficult to tip anything but a City win on Friday night on the North Island. Wellington did manage an irony last weekend when they scored against the meanest defence in the league. But Auckland were 3-0 up by then and just went on with the job. City matched their navy-blue neighbours and Matt Leckie made a big difference.

Despite not being convincing, the Mariners had been unbeaten since Round 13, until a calamitous first half topped off a bad week, where they were beaten twice to end their ACL campaign. Purely on form, Western must be favourites here. They demolished Adelaide last week and the only glimmer of hope for Mariners fans is that their side will be better-rested with no midweek travel. It seems a greasy vine to grasp.

Auckland and Adelaide played out a midweek thriller just over a month ago. Since then, the Black Knights haven’t dropped a point and have surged into title favouritism. Concurrently,  Adelaide have performed like an ageing classic rock band – thrilling one week and then dropping their bundle and walking out on the gig the next. If they don’t get their rhythm section – AKA their midfield – singing from the same songbook, Auckland will smash them like guitars.

Brisbane’s season of misery shows little sign of emerging from its Stephen King-like horror show. One win in the entire campaign would even turn Kathy Bates off as a fan. They welcome a Victory side who haven’t been all that flash themselves – a mixed bag of 3 wins in 8 games possibly belies their fourth placing in a very congested table. They should flick the switch to efficiency mode on a steamy Saturday evening at Suncorp and take the points.

Macarthur have lost the talented but incredibly sooky Valere Germain, who has gone to Japan in the hope of finding refereeing more to his liking. Sydney will be hoping Patryk Klimala has overcome niggling injuries that hampered his participation in the ACL2 tie with Bangkok United. The Bulls have a history of performing well against their Eastern brothers and I’m leaning towards them based on home ground advantage.

Adrian Segecic will be looking for more goals when Sydney FC takes on Macarthur on Saturday night. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

The Wanderers are slipping into the form their fans expect. They routed the champions last week and in Zac Sapsford they have one of the form strikers of the competition. Perth frustrated Sydney last week but found it hard to find a way to goal. It’s the league’s top scorers versus the bottom scorers and Perth’s miserable return of 12 in 19 matches makes it hard to find a reason to expect this will be anything other than a Wanderers win.

Texi Smith

Wellington, United, Adelaide, Victory, Sydney, Wanderers

An early game for Friday as Wellington Phoenix sheepishly return to the nation’s capital to take on Melbourne City. What starts as total domination by the visitors slowly turns as Phoenix fend off waves of City attacks, and by half time Phoenix have come out of their shell and are ready to fight. Alex Rufer’s long range opener bursts open the contest with 20 minutes left, Marco Tilio equalising late on, but a drama-filled final flourish sees the home team sneak the win.

Alarm bells are ringing at Central Coast Stadium. With Trent Sainsbury suspended, the Mariners are brittle, and they find themselves behind at half time to that slippery character, Hiroshi Ibusuki. Groans all around as Noah Botic races up field to make it two, and Abel Walatee compounds the misery in Gosford with a third in the final minute. Western United firmly in command for a top-six finish.

One versus two in Saturday’s evening game, free-scoring Auckland FC looking to stamp their name all over the A-League in their inaugural season. The visit of Adelaide United, a team in an unfathomable rut, will be a test of their resolve.

Stefan Mauk is untouchable in midfield as he runs the show for Adelaide, Archie Goodwin and Jay Barnett on target before the break. Auckland are strong in the second half in front of another bumper crowd, but Zach Clough silences the home team with a third, and Adelaide coast to victory at Mount Smart to close the gap at the top.

Daniel Arzani. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Brisbane Roar are unbackable right now. For every positive result, there are many more negative scorelines to follow. Their squad is bristling with exciting entertainers, but they just can’t buy a win. Melbourne Victory are oozing class too, but too often are throwing away points and are susceptible to the odd unexpected thumping along the way this season. The scores are locked t 1-1 at half time, both teams attacking at will, but we are treated to one of Daniel Arzani’s best performances in recent memory as the pendulum swings Victory’s way.

Sydney FC either win by three goals or they don’t win at all. They have stumbled through the season, resting their hopes of success on Joe Lolley’s left foot and on inspired cameo appearances from Brazilian superstar Douglas Costa.

Against Macarthur FC, a club in turmoil following another premature departure of a captain, we will see a rejuvenated Sydney keep their finals hopes alive in a vital six-pointer.

Why tip against Western Sydney Wanderers right now? Nicolas Milanovic is in superb form and Zac Sapsford is a force to be reckoned with. Add Alex Gersbach, Aydan Hammond and Juan Mata off the bench, and Alen Stajcic has a recipe for success. Lachie Wales will make it hard for the Wanderers defence to relax, but any suggestion of a surprise result here is quashed on the stroke of half time as Perth are reduced to ten men.

As always, get involved as part of The Crowd to take on The Roar’s experts using the form below.