Newcastle Jets entertain Adelaide United at the McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday as they look to end their three-game losing streak.
On the flip side, Carl Veart's men head into this tie aiming to grab their fifth straight win and reaffirm their credentials as title contenders.
Match preview
After a propitious few weeks, Newcastle Jets appear to have lost their rhythm as they have now lost three games on the bounce.
The Jets opened the new season with three straight losses, but they turned their fortunes around as they went on an impressive five-game unbeaten run that yielded 11 points.
However, this run came to an end when they fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Wellington Phoenix at the Sky Stadium on February 28.
David Ball opened the scoring in the 22nd minute before Ben Waine doubled their lead in the second half.
Since then, the hosts have suffered two more defeats, including a 2-1 away loss to Sydney FC last Saturday.
Luka Prso gave Craig Deans's men a first-half lead, but the Sky Blues turned the game on its head in the second half thanks to goals from Milos Ninkovic and Alex Wilkinson.
Adelaide United, meanwhile, are enjoying an excellent spell that has seen them move up to third place in the A-League table.
Last week's victory over Melbourne Victory meant they have claimed four wins from four games since the 4-0 loss to Macarthur in February.
The Reds came from one goal down to grab a 3-1 win against the Melbourne outfit at the AAMI Park.
Adelaide United will feel confident coming into this fixture as they have picked up six wins and two draws in their last nine meetings with the hosts.
Their most recent meeting came just two weeks ago at the Cooper Stadium, where Louis D'Arrigo and Craig Goodwin scored in either half to hand Adelaide a 2-1 win.
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Team News
There are a few injury boosts for the hosts as Deans welcomes back a few key players.
Jason Hoffman is expected to return to action on Sunday, having recovered from a groin injury.
Ramy Najjarine has also returned from an ankle problem and could make his first appearance since February's win over Melbourne Victory.
On the other hand, Adelaide United will be without Ryan Kitto and Nathan Konstandopoulos, who are both out with season-ending knee injuries.
They are joined in the treatment table by striker Mohamed Toure, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Newcastle Jets possible starting lineup:
Duncan; O'Toole, Topor-Stanley, Jackson, Koutroumbis; Hoffman, Petratos, Thurgate; Najjarine, O'Donovan, Yuel
Adelaide United possible starting lineup:
Delianov; Smith, Jakobsen, Elsey, Strain; Joe Caletti, D'Arrigo; Dukuly, Mauk, Halloran; Juric
We say: Newcastle Jets 0-2 Adelaide United
After showing initial promise, Newcastle Jets have stumbled in recent weeks. They take Adelaide United, who are high-flying at the moment and have won four games on the trot.
Considering their fine record against the hosts, we see the visitors claiming all three points in this one and extending their streak to five.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Newcastle Jets win with a probability of 42.45%. A win for Adelaide United had a probability of 33.4% and a draw had a probability of 24.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Newcastle Jets win was 2-1 with a probability of 8.94%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (7.96%) and 2-0 (6.39%). The likeliest Adelaide United win was 1-2 (7.79%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.13%). The actual scoreline of 1-4 was predicted with a 1.3% likelihood.
