What will Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat do when Kosta Barbarouses returns from a hamstring injury and we're getting near the A-League finals? Will Barbarouses come straight back in and Archie Thompson go back to the bench, or will "KB" have to sit and wait?
Fortunes have changed for Thompson since he wasn't used at all off the bench in what was a top-of-the-table clash against Perth Glory in round 20. He has started in both of Victory's games since - against Western Sydney Wanderers and Adelaide United - and scored in each of them.
But Barbarouses was in a rich vein of scoring himself before getting hurt.
Besart Berisha and Fahid Ben Khalfallah are givens in the starting side, which leaves Barbarouses and Thompson competing for the other spot up front. Thompson is a Victory legend and a firm fan favourite, but Barbarouses held the spot fair and square before getting hurt.
Will Muscat say it's Thompson's spot to lose? Or will he slot Barbarouses straight back in? The thing is, whoever ends up on the bench will be there at the risk of not getting much game-time, because if things are going well on the field Muscat isn't the type to make a change just for the sake of it.
Victory fans will watch and wait with interest. In the meantime, Thompson is enjoying his lot at the moment and having typical fun on Instagram.
Don't know why Adelaide supporters have a love hate relationship with me, probably a little more hate. It was so long ago I spanked 5 against them in a GF. Get over it, I have #haha #gameday
Pass of the year + finish of the year = goal of the year
These things are a matter of opinion, but False 9 is going with Thompson's goal for Victory against Adelaide as the best of the season.
If the defence-splitting, slide-rule pass from Gui Finkler to set Thompson up was sublime, then the finish from Thompson was ridiculous.
Running at full speed, he displayed magnificent close control to take the ball past goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic with two touches from his right foot before sliding the ball inside the post with his left as he was running away to the left of goal.
You would have sworn the angle between the post and defender Nigel Boogaard, who was rushing back to try to cut the shot off, was impossible had Thompson not threaded the ball through.
But he did. So there.
Someone could have drowned
False 9 has investigated the decision to end the Brisbane-Wellington game early and established it revolved around fears had a player dived for a penalty he may have drowned, or, only slightly better, slid head-first into an upright.
Suncorp Stadium hadn't been under this much water since the horrendous Queensland floods of late 2010-early 2011, which actually caused the postponement of an A-League game between Brisbane and Wellington! Cue eerie music.
There is not much you can do about the weather, except stay out of it. As the late, great Marc Hunter warned when , "if you go out in the rain, we'll never be the same again".
Haven't I seen you somewhere before?
What is about A-League identities and their remarkable likenesses to British actors?
Last week, False 9 brought you photographic evidence to suggest Mark Strong, from Kingsman: The Secret Service, could well be the long-lost twin brother of Victory coach Kevin Muscat.
This week, I ask you, have you ever seen Paul Bettany, who played Silas in The Da Vinci Code, and Central Coast striker Matt Simon in the same room? Could they, in fact, be the same person?
Man of the hour (and a half)
The casual observer might see a 2-2 score-line and assume the goalkeepers weren't all that special on the night, but that wasn't the case with Victory's Nathan Coe against Adelaide.
Coe was the main reason Victory didn't walk away from the match beaten. There was nothing he could do about the two goals and he made several brilliant saves, including a couple of stunning reflex efforts from close range.
The 30 year-old is off contract at the end of the season. Victory hasn't moved on him yet, but surely he is part of their retention plans.
"I really like Melbourne. I love the team here, I like everything about what we have," Coe said after the match. "So I’d love to stay, but I guess we’ll just see what happens because at the moment all we’re concentrating on is week-to-week and game-to-game."
Tweet, tweet #1
Melbourne City midfielder Aaron Mooy, who has gone from Friday's big away win over Sydney FC to Europe with the Socceroos for games against Germany and FYR Macedonia, is a winner on and off the field.
Tweet, tweet #2
Those members of the A-League championship-winning Central Coast Mariners side of 2012-13 who have since kicked on overseas still stick solid.
Power rankings (last week in brackets)
1 Wellington Phoenix (3) Four straight wins and Ernie Merrick's players are yelling 'catch us if you can' to the rest of the field.
2 Sydney FC (1) Lost a game for the first time since the Asian Cup break. Paid the price for not taking its chances.
3 Melbourne Victory (2) Its destiny is no longer in its own hands after draw with Adelaide left it four points behind Phoenix.
4 Melbourne City (6) Means business in its battle with Brisbane for last available finals spot. Three wins in four games proves that.
5 Perth Glory (4) A draw on the road against Central Coast is not a point gained for the former competition leader. It's two points lost.
6 Adelaide United (7) Improved considerably on recent form to have the better of its game against Victory, but had to settle for a draw.
7 Brisbane Roar (5) Still has its finals destiny in its own hands after loss, but while it has two games in hand City already has the points.
8 Central Coast Mariners (8) After picking up just one point from its last two games it needs a miracle to make the finals.
9 Newcastle Jets (10) Struck a big blow in its bid to avoid the wooden spoon with an away win over the other cutlery contender, Western Sydney Wanderers.
10 Western Sydney Wanderers (9) The possibility of the Asian champion finishing last in its domestic competition looms large now.
Can't wait for...
First-placed Wellington at home against third-placed Sydney FC on Sunday.
Two of the most successful coaches in the history of the competition - Ernie Merrick and Graham Arnold - minus the two leading goalscorers this season - Marc Janko and Nathan Burns. Two teams that can really entertain when they're in the groove.
And so much hinging on the result, with only five rounds left before the finals.
Sydney FC can't hope to win the Premier's Plate if it loses this one. Defeat would also be likely to seriously damage its chances of finishing in the all-important top two.
Melbourne Victory will play Central Coast at home on Friday and Perth will play Western Sydney at home on Saturday, so Sydney FC is going to know exactly where it stands before it takes the field.
