The following are previews with betting tips for Round 6 of the 2016/17 A-League season.
View and compare the latest A-League bookmaker odds
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Melbourne City v Newcastle Jets7:50 PM AEDT, Suncorp Stadium |
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Contenders or pretenders? Hot title favourites Melbourne City looked anything but as they suffered their second loss for the season, a 1-0 defeat in Brisbane. City’s much vaunted star-studded lineup were hustled and harried all evening as Roar completely shut down the central midfield areas. In the end, City were thankful for some wasteful finishing from the hosts otherwise it could of resulted in a blowout. Newcastle’s early season optimism, brought about by some encouraging results to kick off the campaign, seems to have all but vanished after a second defeat on the bounce. The 2-0 loss in Wellington was the result of an especially poor first half showing as Nix striker Roy Krishna helped himself to a brace. The Jets improved slightly after the break with the introductions of Andrew Nabbout and Devante Clut.
The Jets will aim to do something they have not done in their short history. In six previous attempts, Newcastle have never won an away game (5 defeats and a draw) directly following a trip to Wellington. If the omens weren’t bad enough, a long injury list and a 5-day turnaround makes a surprise win almost mission impossible. Perhaps the absence of City’s star performer in Luke Brattan (who is away on duty with the Socceroos) will give the visitors a glimmer of hope.
Nick’s tips:
Melbourne City -1.25ah @1.89 (SBOBET)
Over 3 goals @1.77 (SBOBET)
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Adelaide United v Brisbane Roar7:50 PM AEDT, Coopers Stadium |
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Season 2015/16 all over again? Not unlike last season’s premiership winning campaign, Adelaide United sit bottom after a handful of games. The Reds trail league leaders Sydney FC by a massive 14 points following a 2-1 loss to A-League whipping boys Central Coast. Incidentally, it was Adelaide’s fourth consecutive loss by that score line as they failed to fully cash in on their dominant first half display. It’s not all doom and gloom though as star man Marcelo Carrusca returned from injury. Brisbane followed Perth’s blueprint in how to disarm Melbourne City, i.e. defend from the front, congest the midfield, and hit on the counter-attack when the opportunity presents. The Roar’s 1-0 win over Melbourne City actually flattered the visitors with MacLaren, Oar and others guilty of fluffing their lines in the front third.
Brisbane have so far struggled away from home with a 4-0 defeat in Newcastle and a scratchy 1-0 win down in Gosford. The absence of Jamie MacLaren to the Socceroos is a blow for the visitors but Aloisi does have several candidates to take his place, namely Dimi Petratos and Brandon Borrello. Adelaide will be hellbent on opening their account in the win column. The return of Carrusca is a huge boon for the Reds but one questions whether he’s fit enough to start from the first whistle.
Nick’s tip: Adelaide 0ah @1.84 (SBOBET)
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Central Coast Mariners v Wellington Phoenix5:35 PM AEDT, GIO Stadium |
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The wait is over! The Mariners finally broke their 14 game drought without a win, stretching back to January. The 2-1 victory in Adelaide was just desserts for Paul Okon and his management team, who have done wonderfully in turning last season’s no-hopers into a cohesive unit. Admittedly, they were fortunate not to be several goals behind going into the break. Okon though showed his tactical nous as his decision to introduce Mickael Tavares single-handedly changed the course of the match. The Nix also recorded a desperately needed win with Roy Krishna’s brace enough to see off the Jets. Following the 6-1 thumping at the hands of Melbourne Victory, Ernie Merrick got the response he was looking for.
Wellington are severely hampered going into this match with no less than five players on international duty with the All Whites. Thankfully for the visitors, Fiji has a bye round so in-form front man Roy Krishna will spearhead the Nix attack. Central Coast have no such concerns as Okon and his chargers will look to build on last week’s breakthrough triumph.
Nick’s tip: Central Coast 0ah @1.88 (SBOBET)
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Melbourne Victory v Western Sydney Wanderers7:50 PM AEDT, Etihad Stadium |
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The jury is still out! Five games in and followers of this great competition will tell you that both the Victory and Wanderers are an unknown quantity, this season. For the third week running, Western Sydney dropped points from a winning position after the impressive Nicolas Martinez struck within a minute of the opening kick off. Perth Glory though is a difficult away fixture so the 2-2 result represented a solid outing for Tony Popovic’s men. Kevin Muscat became blue in the face after David Carney’s hand assisted equalizer was left to stand in the Big Blue derby. The Victory went on to lose 2-1 and will rue a number of missed opportunities, especially in the first half with Besart Berisha skying over from the spot kick.
In what is arguably the match of the round, a win for either side could act as a major springboard for their respective seasons. Melbourne Victory will miss the wizardry and pacy runs of Marco Rojas down the right flank as he joins up with the Kiwi squad. On the flip side, forgotten man Ben Khallfalah may get his chance to prove he is worthy of a regular starting berth after playing no part in the last two games. Fit again club captain Carl Valeri should slot straight into midfield for Rashid Mahazi. Jumpei may be recalled by Tony Popovic after the Japanese lost his place to Josh Sotirio last weekend.
Nick’s tips:
Over 2.5 goals @1.71 (SBOBET)
Melbourne Victory -0.25ah @1.83 (Pinnacle Sports)
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Sydney FC v Perth Glory5:00 PM AEDT, Allianz Stadium |
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Are the Sky Blues bound for glory – glory of the title winning variety? Sydney are shooting for six straight wins as they look to stretch their 5 point buffer over the rest of the competition. Their perfect record received a thorough examination last week as unlikely hero, David Carney, stepped up to score a brace and secure a come from behind win. It was a masterful substitution by wily old fox Graham Arnold as inexperienced Victory left-back, Stefan Nigro, was twice left exposed by Carney for his lack of positional awareness. Perth will aim to get back to winning ways after just a point earned from their last two outings. One thing they can’t afford is to give the opposition a head start after just 30 seconds, something they managed in last week’s 2-2 draw at NIB Stadium.
Arnie could not have dreamed of a better run of results for his side. The depth in the squad is also impressive when you have players like Bernie Ibini, David Carney and Milos Dimitrijevic waiting in the wings. Carney’s brilliant cameo appearance may earn him a recall to the starting XI with marquee man Filip Holosko struggling for form. Perth gaffer Kenny Lowe will most likely give recalls to experienced duo Royston Griffiths and Rhys Williams as he looks to mastermind an unlikely upset.
Nick’s tip: No bet.
