The following are previews with betting tips for Matchweek 4 of the 2020/21 A-League season.
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Saturday, January 16
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Sydney FC v Western Sydney5:05 PM AEDT, Stadium Australia |
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Last Game- Sydney are 1/1 on the season with 3 points to their name. And their only match of the season thus far produced a scintillatingly entertaining 2-1 victory over Wellington at the Wollongong Showground. Nieuwenhof produced a stunning solo effort to open the scoring for the Sky Blues in the 29th min. And then Brattan eclipsed his young team-mates effort with a special free kick in the 55th min. Sydney’s leaked goal came in the 46th min on the stroke of half-time. With 48% possession of the ball, they shot 5/17 on target. They also completed a great 84% of their passes. Something that was good for 395/468. And they gave up 9 fouls and 5 yellows.
For the Red & Black, they’ve had a decent start to the new campaign so far. Winning 1 and losing 1. Their defeat was a 1-0 result against the Bulls. Whilst their win, was also their most recent clash, this is where they toppled the Jets 2-1 in Newcastle. Their goals were produced through Gordon in just the 7th min of the game, and then again through Russell in the 57th min. Muller also scored in H1, but it was ruled out after a VAR review, much to the delight of the home-crowd. The Jets scored in the 73rd min. That while with 50% of the ball, Western Sydney shot 4/11 on target. They also completed 78% of their passes, which was good for 357/457. And they leaked 14 fouls and 3 yellows throughout the match.
Past History- Sydney have won 11 of their past 20 clashes against the Wanderers. However, in 2 of the last 3 games contested between these two fierce rivals, the Red & Black have been victorious in 2 of them. The last affair was a 1-1 draw at Bankwest Stadium in Parramatta. Le Fondre scored 1st in the 35th min, before Yeboah scored a late equalizer in the 82nd min.
What Should Happen- There was a while back there where no matter what the Wanderers did and no matter how hard the Wanderers tried, they simply couldn’t break down the might of Sydney FC. But that has all changed now, Sydney is still the dominant force within the A-League at the moment, but they struggle to beat the Wanderers. So, given how powerful Sydney are at the moment, + the Wanderers ability to stifle the Sky Blues at any given time, + the fact that it is the Sydney Derby, WE ARE IN FOR ONE HELL OF A MATCH! Expect it to be closely contested and for it to only be decided within the final 10-15 minutes of the match with a moment of brilliance. Perhaps Ninkovic replicates his derby winner from his heyday, or maybe Ibini shows his former club what they’re missing. Who knows? This is without a doubt the game of the round!
Betting tips: Pick Sydney to win at $1.80 (Bet365)
Also pick them to score the games first goal at $1.53 (Bet365)
And pick both teams to score at least once each at $1.75 (Bet365)
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Melbourne City v Western United7:10 PM AEDT, AAMI Park |
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Last Game- City so far have won 1 of their 2 matches this campaign. In the opening matchweek of the season, they secured a tight 1-0 win over Brisbane. However, their most recent clash vs Adelaide in Adelaide, saw them beaten thoroughly 2-0. Juric scored first for the home-side in the 66th min and then Mauk made sure of the win 10 mins later with a strike of his own. And Juric’s goal came shortly after Jaimeson was shown red for a bad foul in the 65th min. With 48% possession of the ball, Melbourne shot 6/11 on target. And they also completed a solid 83% of their passes. Something that was good for 373/447. And overall, throughout the match they conceded 11 fouls, 1 yellow and the red.
So far this season, Mark Rudan’s side have played just the one game. That game was the A-League opener at GMHBA Stadium. There W.U. battled to a 0-0 draw with Adelaide. However, the game was so much more entertaining than that of what the score-line says. Shots were being taken left, right and centre and fairly consistently at that. W.U. had 45% ownage of the ball, as they shot 4/10 on target. They also completed 81% of their passes, a particularly good rate indeed. That was ultimately good for 341/420. And when it came to fouling, the game was full of them, with 30 given away in total (16 W.U.’s doing). And they also gave up 6 yellows.
Past History- These two Victorian rivals never fail to produce entertaining affairs between one another. City have won all 4 clashes played between them, but they’ve all been great shows! The scores have been (from newest to oldest), 2-0, 3-1, 3-2 and 2-1. Most recently the 2-0 clash was played out of Bankwest. City’s goal-scorers were Maclaren in the 68th min and an Imai OG in the 84th min.
What Should Happen- City well, they just didn’t look like City last round against Adelaide. And with those inner struggles still likely to be present for the Sky Blue Melbourne team in this one, expect W.U. to take full advantage of that and claim their maiden victory over one of their biggest rivals in the A-League. Mark Rudan is a smart coach and he’ll have his side fully ready for this one. And with both Berisha and Diamanti in tow, that becomes an even bigger possibility given the merciless way they kill teams with their potent attacking games. And you can expect those two to taunt City’s left side of defence. Jaimeson is suspended and they’ll have the precision to get around Good. Whilst Glover, as good as he is, is still just 23 years of age and relatively in-experienced in the A-League. They’ll pepper that left side most of the match and that should be a strong contributing factor in W.U. getting the eventual victory.
Betting tips: Pick W.U. to be victorious at $4.35 (UniBet)
Also pick the 2nd half to be the highest scoring one at $2.00 (Bet365)
And pick Berisha to score anytime throughout the course of the match at $2.25 (Bet365)
Sunday, January 17
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Newcastle Jets v Macarthur FC4:05 PM AEDT, McDonald Jones Stadium |
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Last Game- The Jets have been up for the fight so far this season and have displayed a lot of admirable qualities. However, it still hasn’t been enough to earn them their first point of the new season as of yet. First up they went down 1-0 to the Mariners in what was a closely contested F3 Derby. Then playing at home in their latest clash, they were just pipped 2-1 by the Wanderers. Their sole goal came through Boogard in the 73rd min. Whilst the goals they leaked came in the 7th and 57th mins of the match. With 50% of the ball, Newcastle played quite well, this as they shot 4/21 on target. And they could perhaps feel a bit unlucky that they didn’t take at least a point from this one. They also completed 77% of their passes, good for 336/437. And they conceded 16 fouls, but just 2 yellows somewhat weirdly, throughout the duration of the game.
The Bulls so far have played 3 matches this current season. 1 Has been a win, 1 has been a draw and 1 has been a loss. Their first ever A-League match was a 1-0 victory over the Wanderers in the A-League’s newest derby. Then in their first home match at Campbelltown Stadium, they disappointed in what was a 2-0 loss to the Mariners. And now lastly, they drew 1-1 with Wellington at home. They conceded to Ball in the 39th min, but they evened it back up in the 67th min via a Susaeta strike. The most controversial moment of the match came when Rufer of the Nix had his initial yellow upgraded to a red after review from the VAR. That when it was barely a yellow to begin with. And that proved to be quite costly with Wellington down a man the rest of the game. If I were Talay, I’d be asking for a please explain, a million times over! With 56% of the ball, they shot 6/26 on target, + they had a shot hit the woodwork. They also completed 86% of their passes which was good for 400/464. And they gave up 15 fouls and 3 yellows during the game.
Past History- This will excitingly be the first time that these two teams ever go head-to-head against each other. So instead, I’ll ask the big question, can the Jets claim a win here? And the answer is yes, yes they can. The Bulls throughout all 3 of their games this season at various stages have looked fairly patchy. That combined with the Jets wanting it so badly, may just see an early season upset. And with a strong and vocal home-crowd support behind them, there is the potential for them to do something here.
What Should Happen- This should be a great game of A-League Football right here. Both sides need the win. So, both sides should play a more attacking style of Football then a ‘park the bus’ defensive type of thing. And not only will that make for great viewings across the globe, but it’ll also mean that it’s an open game with lots more scoring opportunities being presented to either side. The Jets may have lost last round, but they still took an exciting 21 shots at goal. Whilst for the Bulls, they had 26 in their draw. And when you factor in key-offensive players who will be featuring such as O’Donovan (6 goals from 12 games for Newcastle last season), the wild x-factor Yuel, experienced veteran and former Olympiakos man Derbyshire and new Bulls fan-favourite Rose, it really does become one fun to watch, free-flowing sort of a game. Whether you’re a fan of either side or perhaps even just a neutral, this game is bound to be really quite something indeed!
Betting tips: Pick both teams to find the back of the net at least once each at $1.75 (Bet365)
Also pick the 1st half to be the highest scoring one at $3.10 (Bet365)
And pick the Bulls to score the games last goal at $2.10 (Bet365)
Tuesday, January 19
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Central Coast v Western Sydney7:05 PM AEDT, Central Coast Stadium |
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Last Game- The Mariners are a perfect 2/2, they’re on 6 points and they’re top of the A-League! Life is good and cosy if you’re a Mariners fan at the moment! Their 1st game of the season was a close 1-0 win over Newy in the F3 Derby. Then after that, in Macarthur’s territory, they beat the A-League’s newest lads 2 goals to nil, in what was a simple lesson on how to play Football properly. They produced the games only goals via De Silva in the 35th min and then again through Smylie in the 89th min. And they did it all with just 31% possession of the ball and only going 3/6 on target! Simply impressive stuff from the Gosford-based side! They also completed 66% of their passes, good for 182/274. And they leaked 14 fouls and 2 yellows throughout the course of the game.
The Red & Black’s form has already been analysed prior in this article, so I’ll review their defeat to Macartur FC instead. In their RD1 opener, they were bested by their newest rivals 1-0 at Bankwest Stadium. The only goal of the entire match came via Milligan in the 72nd min as the former Victory man scored a deflected goal of an initial free kick. The Wanderers had 45% ownage of the ball and went 6/13 on target. That while the Bulls went 6/20 on target. Western Sydney also completed 78% of their passes, which was good for 320/412. And during the match they gave up 12 fouls and 3 yellows.
Past History- The Wanderers have a dominating recent history against the Mariners, having won 6 of their past 8 contested games against them. From newest to oldest their winning scores have been 3-1, 2-1, 2-0, 2-0, 2-1 and 2-0. Most recently the 3-1 affair was played out of Bluetongue Stadium in 2020, FEB 2. Simon scored in the 82nd min for the home-side. That whilst the away-side scored goals through Muller (42nd min), Duke (76th min) and Cox (95th min).
What Should Happen- The Mariners have been really, really good this campaign, there’s absolutely no denying that. And even though I myself am not a Mariners fan personally, it’s great to see that after all these years of being the A-League’s whipping boys, they seem to, at least for now, caught a bit of a break for once. But I do genuinely believe that the Wanderers will pull them back to earth in this clash. Overall, they’ve been victorious in 10 of their past 15 clashes against the Mariners. And that sort of history shouldn’t be taken lightly in any encounter, no matter who’s playing. I also believe that the floodgates will open in this clash, expect at least 5+ goals to be scored in a high-scoring Wanderers victory. The Wanderers have all the tools they need, and what better team to finally use all of them against than that of the Central Coast?
Betting tips: Pick the Wanderers to be victorious at $2.20 (Bet365)
Also pick the Wanderers to score first at $1.72 (Bet365)
And pick the 2nd half to be the highest scoring one at $2.00 (Bet365)
Wednesday, January 20
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Perth Glory v Adelaide United9:20 PM AEDT, HBF Park |
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Last Game- Due to the unfortunate and unforgiving nature of COVID, the Glory have yet to play a game so far in what has been a fairly disrupted A-League season to date. So, their last game came last season when they were knocked out in the 2nd week of the finals by Sydney FC, losing 2-0 at Bankwest Stadium. That match was played as a part of a finals double-header. And the goals came through Ninkovic in the 24th min and Le Fondre just 4 mins later. Perth owned 52% possession of the ball, but somehow only shot 1/11 on target. + They also had a shot hit the woodwork. But they did complete an exceptionally good 85% of their passes, that being something that was good for 465/549. And they leaked just 10 fouls during the game, + 3 yellows.
Adelaide’s form has been pretty hot so far this season. From 2 games, they’ve got a win and a draw, good for 4 points. And they’re in 2nd, just behind the Mariners. They helped to kick the A-League season of, as they drew 0-0 against Western United FC. And then after that at Hindmarsh Stadium, they whacked Melbourne City 2-0 in an unexpected result that few saw coming. Juric scored the first goal of the match in the 66th min and then Mauk secured the result for the home-side just 10 mins later. Helping aid the Reds commanding victory was a red card to Jaimeson in the 65th min for a bad foul. Adelaide owned 52% of the ball throughout the game and shot 5/14 on target. They also completed a strong 81% of their passes. Something that was good for 399/490. And finally, they leaked a BIG 17 fouls and just 2 yellows throughout the match.
Past History- The Glory have won 4 of their past 6 clashes against Adelaide United. And these games do not hold back do they? Most recently, Adelaide beat them 5-3. Before that, Perth won 3-0. And prior to that, the game ended in a 3-3 draw at the end of ET. And the Glory eventually prevailed after a massively long-shootout to win 5-4 on penalties! That 5-3 clash was played out of Bankwest Stadium. The Reds goals came via Jakobsen (27th min), Brook (29th min), Opseth (38th min), Halloran (45th min) and Niyongabire (63rd min). Whilst Perth produced goals through (Popovic 33rd min), Fornaroli (74th min) and Juande (83rd min).
What Should Happen- This game really does possess a lot of un-known quantities to it doesn’t it? Adelaide is noticeably young, but then who saw their smackdown of City coming? Whilst Perth have yet to feature so far this season, so we don’t have a great idea of what to expect from them. But ultimately, if Ikonimidis and Fornaroli are both firing, then the Glory win this match. They are too good and too talented up -front, which is where the major differences between the two sides exist. Ikonimidis has scored 12 goals for the side since he joined in 2018, whilst Fornaroli bagged 13 strikes of his own last season. Adelaide just don’t have that and that is ladies and gentlemen, is where I think the Glory will ever so slightly edge this one.
Betting tips: Pick the Glory to win at $2.15 (UniBet)
Also pick them to find the back of the net first at $1.66 (Bet365)
And pick there to be at least 1+ goal/s in each halve at $1.58 (UniBet)
Best Bets of the Round
Pick Ninkovic to score at anytime in the Sydney Derby at $3.20 (Bet365)
Also for the Sydney Derby, pick there to be at least 1+ goal/s in each halve/s at $1.65 (UniBet)
And for the Melbourne Derby, pick Western United to win by exactly two goals, if you want a high-risk, high-reward bet at $13.00 (Bet365)