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.