AAP
Sydney FC and Western Sydney set the scene for an intriguing A-League derby rematch by notching valuable wins on Sunday.
Sydney FC kick-started Frank Farina's coaching reign with a 2-1 win away to Wellington Phoenix, despite missing marquee stars Alessandro Del Piero and Brett Emerton.
The Wanderers were also impressive as a late penalty to Japanese star Shinji Ono at Parramatta Stadium secured their second win over reigning champions Brisbane Roar this season.
The NSW rivals will meet for the second time in front of an expected bumper crowd at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
And after Sydney FC triumphed in their first meeting at Parramatta Stadium in October, Wanderers coach Tony Popovic can't wait for another crack at their cross-town rivals.
"Derbies are very unique, whether you're on the top or bottom sometimes that's irrelevant," Popovic said.
"But they've had a bit of a resurgence under Frank, which I'm not surprised in, and we've had a great win today so it sets it up very nicely."
The Sky Blues' win in Wellington means they now sit alongside the Roar on 10 competition points at the foot of the ladder.
Brisbane's title defence took another frustrating turn as they dominated the second half only to lose but coach Rado Vidosic insists they are on the right track.
The Roar, chasing a third straight title, are already 13 points behind pacesetters Central Coast after 10 rounds.
"We just need to keep working and believing in ourselves," Vidosic said.
"Yes, we are losing games but it's not like we are second best.
"Most of the time when we lose, we dominate our opponents.
"All we need to do is believe in ourselves and our systems and keep working hard and sooner or later our luck will turn."
The Mariners are flying atop the ladder, with Saturday night's 2-0 win over Newcastle moving them to 23 competition points, one clear of Adelaide.
Veteran striker Daniel McBreen scored twice in the win, extending his lead on the goal-scoring charts with nine.
Mariners coach Graham Arnold had promised McBreen he would open discussions on a new contract if he reached double figures and the 35-year-old is now only one strike away.
"I didn't expect it to happen this early, I'd have to say, but I'm happy for him," Arnold said.
The Reds (22 points) and Melbourne Victory remained second and third respectively after the Reds triumphed 4-2 in their clash on Friday night.
The Wanderers (13), Jets (13) and Phoenix (12) round out the top six.
Melbourne Heart (12) scored a pressure-relieving 1-0 win over Perth (11) on Saturday night to climb above the Glory into seventh place.
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