Can Sydney FC repeat last season's feat? Or does their destiny lie elsewhere? Perhaps Newcastle, chastened by the wooden spoon, will spark a Leicester-like revival? What are the ingredients that could drive your club to the top? Or are the off-season changes going to be the ones your coach rues come May?

The A-League, just like Leicester, can be unpredictable. So just like the Leicester of old, here is how your club could win this year’s championship OR - like the current Leicester - how they could lose it.

Sydney FC (2016/17 finish: 1st)

Last season's champions

Surprise Player: Andrew Redmayne - two-time A-League premiership winner and three-time championship winner.

Why They’ll Win: Bernie Ibini was a crucial piece in Sydney’s championship success last season. With Ibini now in the MLS, Charles Lokolingoy will take his place on the bench. Last year in the second tier of the NPL, Lokolingoy scored an incredible 27 goals from 25 matches. Then this season in the NPL - a significant step up - he still bagged seven. Lokolingoy’s pace means it’ll be like Ibini never left the club.

Why They’ll Lose: No more Rhyan Grant means hello Luke Wilkshire. Grant was one of the most consistent performers in the A-League last season, culminating in a maiden call-up to the Socceroos squad. But he is out for the current campaign with an ACL injury. Now 36-year-old Wilkshire has been called up to take his place despite just 12 games in the 2016-17 season. His age and potential vulnerability could be a major contributor to a Sydney FC downfall.

Melbourne Victory (2016/17 finish: second)

Key players for Victory - Besart Berisha and Mitch Austin

Surprise Player: Mitch Austin - He scored eight goals last season along with 12 shot assists.

Why they’ll win: An extremely talented and competitive squad. Up front is three-time A-League championship winner Bersart Berisha plus the likes of Kostas Barbarouses and Mitch Austin. In the middle is marquee-man Mark Milligan joined by James Troisi and captain Carl Valeri. At the back there is Socceroo Rhys Williams and the young but talented duo of Thomas Deng and Jason Geria. With more players to be added before the season starts, the Victory will be extremely confident in going one better this season.

Why they’ll lose: Bersart Berisha. While he could easily win Melbourne the championship this season, he could just as easily lose it for them in a moment of madness. With four career red cards and a history of not taking a step back and playing aggressively his tendency to be feisty and milk penalties could potentially cost the Victory big this season.

Brisbane Roar (2016/17 finish: 3rd)

Surprise Player: Corey Gameiro - Was a member of the Fulham team from 2011-2013.

Why They’ll Win: John Aloisi. With two A-League championships, an NSL championship and an A-League premiership as well as being a constant feature in the Socceroos, he could be the Roar’s magic ingredient. Yet to win anything as a manager and following a terrible first outing at the helm of the Melbourne Heart, his team struggled with injuries. Now at Brisbane he is looking for his first success and will be ably backed by key veterans including Michael Theo, Jade North, Matt McKay and Brett Holman. Aloisi’s experience and his desire to prove himself as a winning manager make Brisbane a real dark horse to take out the title this season.

Why They’ll Lose: Marquee player Massimo Maccarone. At 38 years of age his career has been patchy, scoring only two goals in 18 games for Palermo and just six goals in 38 attempts for Sampdoria. With him as striker Brisbane could struggle up front which would severely hinder their attack. The move to make him their marquee player is a real head-scratcher from Brisbane and goes strongly against its (namely ex-coach’s Ange Postecoglou’s) reliance on youth.

 

Melbourne City (2016/17 finish: 4th)

Surprise Player: Ruon Tongyik - In Adelaide’s championship winning season he was named Youth Player of the Year.

Why They’ll Win: Not all teams pay attention to what’s being said about them by the media, but if Melbourne City do, they’ll know they are regarded as the FFA’s ‘golden children’. The reasons range from Tim Cahill being the only FFA-bankrolled marquee player, to City’s supposed ‘favouritism’ from the referees. A first championship for City would arguably shut down a lot of those opinions and introduce the team to a whole new set of fans. City has a monkey on its back this year, but look for them to play aggressively to shake it off.

Why They’ll Lose: Melbourne Victory. In the NRL it’s the Gold Coast being in the shadow of Brisbane while in international sports it’s the Clippers being eclipsed by the Lakers. In the A-League it’s Melbourne City being the little brother of Melbourne Victory. Victory currently have three championships, three premierships and an FFA Cup, while City have only a lone FFA Cup. Last season City were knocked out in the first week of the finals while Victory have made two of the past three grand finals. Until City can have a competitive season where they finish in the Top Two and prove they’re one of the teams to beat, whether on the pitch or mentally, they’ll always be beaten by the bigger team in Melbourne.

Perth Glory (2016/17 finish: fifth)

Liam Reddy

Surprise Player: Alex Grant - From 2013-2015 he was a contracted member of Stoke City.

Why They’ll Win: At home last season in a 20,500 person capacity stadium Perth only averaged 10,533 people. But you wouldn’t have known it given that at NIB Stadium they won eight, drew three and lost only three. They might not have a large fan base compared to Melbourne Victory or Western Sydney but their record shows the impact a passionate fan base can have. Their supporters will no doubt turn up again this season in preparation for a Perth championship challenge.

Why They’ll Lose: Liam Reddy aka “Peter Pan”. While not entirely his fault, last season Perth had five games where they conceded three goals, and four games where they conceded four. With poor performances against lightweights in the Central Coast and Wellington, it is especially concerning.  Reddy will have to be putting in 110% for Perth to have any realistic chance this year given their backline weaknesses.

Western Sydney Wanderers (2016/17 finish: sixth)

Lachlan Scott and Oriol Riera

Surprise Player: Lachlan Scott - From 13 games for the Western Sydney Wanderers Reserves he has scored 15 goals.

Why They’ll Win: Despite being the only Australian club to ever win the Asian Champions League, there’s a hint of desperation in the air at Rooty Hill. The club have made an impressive three grand finals in five seasons but have yet to capture the silverware. With the exception of the FFA Cup it is the only trophy they’re yet to win and they will be desperate to show they can turn up and win the big games this season. This motivation could very well deliver them a maiden championship.

Why They’ll Lose: The RBB are a passionate fan group, maybe too passionate as it wasn’t all that long ago that poor crowd behaviour got Western Sydney in some strife with the FFA. A major consequence of this was a suspended points sentence. Any more incidents could result in big trouble for the club. With just two wins ahead of seventh spot last season, a repeat by the fans could make all the difference in whether they have the opportunity to compete for the championship or not when the finals kick off.

 

Wellington Phoenix (2016/17 finish: 7th)

Dario and Rado Vidosic

Surprise Player: Lewis Italiano - He has previously had two stints with Perth Glory.

Why They’ll Win: The father-son combination of assistant coach Rado Vidošić and player Dario Vidošić. The family pairing will be a massive boost for Wellington with both being able to work well together and feed off each other to get the required results. Rado is a credible assistant coach having worked with the three biggest teams in the country in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne while Dario has plenty of experience in the A-League and has represented the Socceroos on numerous occasions.

Why They’ll Lose: As far as coaching goes, the aim is to make your team the best possible and help them win. New Wellington coach Darije Kalezić’s career is the exact opposite of that. During his coaching career with six teams, the closest he’s come to winning is with De Graafschap of the Eerste Divisie where he had a winning percentage of just 44.32%. He’s also had coaching stints that have lasted just three months as well as one that went for just seven games. His coaching record means Wellington may well be fighting to avoid finishing last this season rather than competing for a first-ever championship.

Central Coast Mariners (2016/17 finish: 8th)

Mariners fans celebrate a goal

Surprise Player: Tom Glover - He is on-loan from Tottenham and is their youth goalkeeper.

Why They’ll Win: Rejected from Sydney FC after scoring no goals in 15 games, he followed up in Newcastle with just five in 26 games. But this off-season for the Central Coast, Andrew Hoole was acquired and he lit up the pre-season with his seemingly new-found ability to strike in front of goal. If the ex-Australian U23 player’s resurgence proves to be the real thing  this season he will be a massive influence in the Mariners’ chase for another championship.

Why They’ll Lose: Ben Kennedy. He didn’t feature for the Newcastle Jets at all last season yet this season could be starting only because the Central Coast’s other two goalkeepers are so young. If this proves to be the case the Mariners can wave goodbye to a finals berth this campaign and a potential championship. He is on the wrong side of 30 and doesn’t have what it takes to compete at a high level in the A-League any more. Paul Okon should rotate his young goalkeepers instead of him but barring any drastic changes or injury it appears that he’ll be starting the first game of the season.

Adelaide United (2016/17 finish: 9th)

Paul Izzo in action

Surprise Player: Paul Izzo - He has represented Australia at the U17, U20 and U23 levels.

Why They’ll Win: Belief. Despite having a very small squad available, Adelaide still advanced to the second round of the FFA Cup after an inspired 1-0 win over the Newcastle Jets. Fast forward they now have their full squad for the upcoming season and are only one win out of the FFA Cup final. Their tight-knit team resembles that of their Premiership/ Championship double winning team only two years ago. If they can play with the same mentality and confidence that their historic squad had then they might just repeat that feat.

Why They’ll Lose: Baba Diawara. A striker’s primary role is to score goals but on average for his career he has scored only 67 goals from 253 games, a poor statistic. He’ll have to change this quick smart or Adelaide could struggle massively in front of goal this season. Adelaide could still have a stellar defence but this would let them down given he’s one of their only attacking options up front and arguably the main one.

Newcastle Jets (2016/17 finish: 10th)

Wayne Brown

Surprise Player: Wayne Brown - He has played just under 60 games for the Bristol Rovers.

Why They’ll Win: Last season for Newcastle Jack Duncan helped contribute to the team having nine games where they conceded only one or fewer goals. The other player in his position in Glen Moss - a man who has made just under 30 appearances for the New Zealand national team. The goalkeeping battle between these two players means Newcastle have two starting-quality keepers on their books. This positional battle massively helps to shore up Newcastle’s defence in preparation for this season.

Why They’ll Lose: As a coach Ernie Merrick’s only been able to win with two very talented Melbourne Victory teams. With the exception of that, his trophy cabinet is empty. Combined with a winning percentage at Wellington of just 32.98% and his brief stint as the head coach of the Hong Kong national team he could finally be exposed for the average coach that he is rather than one of the best coaches in the A-League that he is considered.

 

So which Leicester will your club be at the end of the 2017/18 campaign? No matter what happens though, every club enters this upcoming season on level points and a shot, whether big or small at taking out the Championship. For Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney they are all aiming to etch themselves into Australian footballing history while the likes of Western Sydney and Wellington are aiming for maiden championships. With that in mind good luck to the nine Australian-based clubs and the one New Zealand-based club competing in the 13th season of the Hyundai A-League.