CommBank Matildas will have a final opportunity for match minutes this weekend, before the competition pauses for the upcoming international window.
Read our preview of Matildas at Home action below.
Round 17 gets underway on Friday evening, as Melbourne Victory take on the Western Sydney Wanderers at 7pm AEDT. The teams are on 23 points apiece – one point clear of the chasing pack outside the top six. A win for either side will be a welcome boost to their finals hopes, and Sophie Harding will be hoping to celebrate her first call-up to the CommBank Matildas by helping her Wanderers side over the line.
Alex Chidiac, Elise Kellond-Knight, and Emily Gielnik are expected to start for Victory, while Lydia Williams is still sidelined after ankle surgery.
Canberra United will host Sydney FC on Saturday, 5pm AEDT. While Canberra are currently bottom of the table, they will take a lot of heart from their victory over league leaders Melbourne City two weeks ago, and will hope to pull off a similar result against title contenders Sydney. With golden boot leader Michelle Heyman is in their team, they are capable of outscoring anyone.
A win for Sydney FC could – depending on other results – see them finish the round top of the league. Cortnee Vine and Jada Whyman will certainly be hoping that is the case – they are both expected to start and play a large role in the side.
Top flight football will be returning to the regions on Saturday, as the Newcastle Jets host Tameka Yallop’s Brisbane Roar in Maitland on Saturday, 5pm AEDT. Both sides will count themselves unlucky to have lost by the odd goal last week and will be hoping for an improved result this time out. The Jets have three points on Brisbane, and look the more likely to sneak into a top six spot come the end of the season, but a victory for the Roar will keep them right in the finals race.
Melbourne City have an opportunity to bounce back after a couple of shaky weeks as they take on Adelaide United on Sunday, 5pm AEDT. They will still be without striker Hannah Wilkinson and captain Rebekah Stott – both away on international duty with New Zealand – but still boast formidable firepower in the form of Emina Ekic, Rhianna Pollicina, and Daniela Galic, who has been called into the CommBank Matildas squad as a train-on. A win would see them remain top of the table, but any dropped points could mean they are overtaken.
If Melbourne City do fail to win, they will lose top spot at the expense of Western United, who take on Wellington Phoenix at the same time of Sunday, 5pm AEDT. Chloe Logarzo has been in remarkable form and is coming off a brace, while the Phoenix will be desperate to turn their away form around and stay within touching distance of the top six. It will be awfully tough for Wellington, however, losing six players to international duty with New Zealand.
Finally, Perth Glory will host the Central Coast Mariners on Sunday, 10.30pm AEDT. Perth have not won a game since December, but cling onto sixth place by a point – the Mariners are the top of the chasing pack, only one point behind them. Three points for either could be very significant. Kyah Simon is continuing to build her minutes for the Mariners and may even be in line for her first start of the season this weekend.