It’s derby weekend in Round 18 of the A-League as Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City collide, along with Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers.

Victory and City launch the weekend’s action at AAMI Park on Friday night, with both teams looking to snap respective winless streaks. City are sitting pretty in second spot on the ladder but are coming off a 3-1 loss to Adelaide last week, while Victory haven’t won since the 5th of January, drawing 2-2 with Perth in their last outing.

Perth Glory and Wellington Phoenix then square off in the ‘distance derby’ later on Friday night at nib Stadium. It’s third vs fourth as both sides look to further entrench themselves in the top four. Glory drew 2-2 with Victory last week, while Wellington had the bye.

Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers renew their bitter rivalry on Saturday night at Allianz Stadium. Sydney are once again runaway competition leaders, increasing their gap at the top of the table to 13 points with a 1-0 victory over Brisbane last week, while the Wanderers claimed a much-needed 3-1 win over the Mariners to keep pace with the top six.

Speaking of needing to maintain ground with a finals spot, that’s exactly what Brisbane Roar will be trying to do when they host Adelaide United in the second game on Saturday. Brisbane are just two points off sixth, but they run into a red-hot Adelaide team that has beaten Western United and Melbourne City over the last fortnight.

Round 18 comes to an end in the Hunter as Newcastle Jets and Central Coast Mariners clash in the F3 derby. Both sides are once again languishing at the bottom of the ladder, with the Jets winless since November 30, while the Mariners are quickly losing touch with the top six after falling 3-1 to the Wanderers.

Western United have the bye this weekend.

A-League Round 18 Fixtures

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Friday February 7

Melbourne City vs Melbourne Victory
Perth Glory vs Wellington Phoenix

Saturday February 8

Sydney FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers
Brisbane Roar vs Adelaide United

Sunday February 9

Newcastle Jets vs Central Coast Mariners