The following are previews with betting tips for Matchweek 5 of the 2020/21 A-League season.
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Friday, January 22
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Sydney FC v Central Coast7:05 PM AEDT, Jubilee Stadium |
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Last game- At ANZ Stadium last week, Sydney played out a tight and tense 1-1 draw with the Wanderers in the Derby. They opened the scoring via a 63rd min controversial Barbarouses penalty. That was after Ninkovic had drawn a foul from Troisi in the penalty area. And then only 5 mins later, Troisi evened things up for the home-side, turning himself from the villain into the hero, and that is how the entertaining match stayed till the end. With 47% possession of the ball, the Sky Blues shot 6/16 on target. + They had a shot hit the woodwork. Outside of that, they also completed 84% of their passes. That was something that was good for 442/524. And finally, they leaked 8 fouls and 1 yellow throughout the match.
For the Mariners, they were considerably unlucky in their 1-0 loss to Western Sydney, a thrilling game that went down to the wire in Gosford. Muller scored the late winner in the 83rd min for the away side. With 36% possession of the ball, the Central Coast went 4/14 on target. And as well as that, they had a shot hit the woodwork. 81% Of their passes were completed, good for 311/385. And they gave up a considerably large number of fouls, good for 17 all up throughout the match. That, + 3 fouls.
Past history- Sydney have won an absolutely mental 13 of the last 17 clashes that have been contested between these two sides. And 3 of the last 4. Even crazier is that those 3 winning matches have been a collective 9 goals to 2! Sydney certainly have the recent edge over the Mariners to say the least. And in the latest match, a 3-0 win to the Sky Blues, played out at Bluetongue Stadium, ‘Ninko’ (8th min), Tilio (89th min) and Van der Saag (91th min), produced the winning strikes during that clash.
What should happen- The Mariners have definitely shown what they’re capable of so far this season. And even in their most recent defeat against Western Sydney, they pushed the star-studded side all the way. So, if Sydney don’t come fully prepared for this one, then they’re in for a significant dog fight to say the least. So, with all that in mind, expect the Mariners to show that they want it BADLY. But ultimately, Sydney should just be a class or two above them. Against WSW last week, Brattan completed 56 accurate passes (89% completion rate). He also won 3/4 tackles and his only take on. As for Barbarouses, he scored his opening goal of the season, had 2 shot assists and made 27 accurate passes (90% completion rate). The strong Midfielder and Striker combination should be key in any form of Sydney victory.
Betting tips: Pick Sydney to win at $1.60 (BlueBet)
Also pick them to score first at $1.45 (Sportsbet)
And pick them to score last at $1.45 (Sportsbet)
Saturday, January 23
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Western United v Perth Glory5:05 PM AEDT, GMHBA Stadium |
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Last game- How will the Glory go in just their second game of the season? At the time of writing, they are yet to have played Adelaide. That meaning their last match was their 2-0 finals defeat against the Sky Blues, last season (their last A-League match anyway). At Bankwest Stadium, they conceded goals to Ninkovic (24th min) and Le Fondre (28th min), in the dreary defeat. And despite having 52% possession of the ball, they managed to only shoot 1/11 on target during the match. And they had a shot hit the woodwork as well. They did however manage to complete a strong 85% of their passes. Something that was ultimately good for 465/549. And they leaked 10 fouls and 3 yellows throughout the match.
W.U.’s latest game was a closely contested 2-1 loss to Melbourne City, at AAMI Park. Vujica opened the scoring for the Green & Black in the 22nd min. However, just 10 mins later Noone evened up the scores for City. And then it was Maclaren who came through in the clutch for City, much to the disappointment of Mark Rudan and his side. That as he scored the 84th min winner. W.U. owned 56% of the ball, but somehow managed to go only 2/12 on target. They did though complete 81% of their passes. Something that was good for 399/491. And they gave up 12 fouls and just 1 yellow during the game.
Past history- These two sides have come up against each other just twice. One game was a 1-1 draw, played out at the GMHBA Stadium. And the other, which was also the most recent, was a strong 2-0 W.U. victory. That game was contested in August last year in Parramatta. There Berisha was all class with a fine double. His goals were produced in the 27th and 52nd minutes of the match. And that was despite the fact that W.U. only shot 3/5 on target, with 46% possession of the ball. And for Perth, they were 2/10, with 54% of the ball.
What should happen- Ikonimidis vs Diamanti. They both produce goals, they both score goals, they’re both established and well-respected players and they are both more then capable of producing special moments at any given time, throughout any given match. Make no doubt about it, this battle will be absolutely vital to the eventual outcome of this should be highlights-filled encounter. Last season, Ikonimidis scored 3 and had 9 shot assists in his 12-game injury limited campaign. And he also completed 80% of his total passes attempts (173 in total). As for Diamanti, in their maiden season, he helped lead W.U. to just one game short of the GF, amongst everything else that he did. While this campaign, his stats include 5 shot assists and 61 accurate passes (71% completion rate). This key Midfield battle is surely one not to be missed!
Betting tips: Pick the Glory to be victorious at $2.83 (bet365, BlueBet, UniBet)
Also pick Fornaroli to score anytime at $2.35 (UniBet)
And pick both teams to find the back of the net at least once each at $1.57 (bet365, UniBet)
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Adelaide United v Melbourne Victory7:10 PM AEDT, Coopers Stadium |
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Last game- At the time of writing, Adelaide are yet to have faced off against Perth, thus meaning their latest match was their 2-0 win against City at Hindmarsh Stadium a couple of weeks ago. And what a great match it was for the home team as well! They absolutely killed it! Juric opened the scoring in the 66th min and then Mauk secured the W 10 mins later with a nice strike of his own. Helping to add to Adelaide’s commanding victory was Jaimeson being shown red in the 65th min for a bad foul. With 52% ownage of the ball, the Reds shot 4/15 on target. And they also completed 81% of their passes. Something that was nice for 399/490. And additionally, throughout the course of the game they conceded a huge 17 fouls and 2 yellows.
The Melbourne Victory’s last game was also a couple of weeks ago, where at home in Melbourne, Brisbane tore them up to the tune of a 3-goals to 1 score-line. The Victory’s sole goal came courtesy of McManaman in the 24th min. Whilst all of the Roar’s goals were produced via McDonald in the 16th min, Gillesphey in the 60th min and Wenzel-Halls in the 79th min. The Victory also owned 58% of the ball, yet shot only 2/9 on target during the game. And they also had a shot hit the woodwork. They also completed a solid 83% of their passes, something that was good for 456/548. And they gave up 13 fouls, + 4 yellows during the match.
Past history- The A-League’s oldest and most original rivalry! It certainly never disappoints does it? And the Reds have been simply commanding as of late, winning 4 of the last 5 games between these two sides. Those winning score-lines, from newest to oldest have been 1-0, 3-1, 1-0 and 2-0. The latest 1-0 affair was at Hindmarsh Stadium in January of last year. Halloran was the sole goal-scorer in that match, with a strike in the 32nd min. And the most recent clash saw the Victory prevail 2-1 at Marvel Stadium. That was contested in February of 2020. Nabbout scored the late, late winner, with a right footed shot, to the top right corner, in the 91st min.
What should happen- No one really saw the Victory’s shock 2-goal loss to Brisbane coming. And they’ve had a hell of a lot of time to work on their game since then and to fix their mistakes. So, they will be fully prepared and fully ready to take on a resurgent Adelaide team in this clash. Look for them to assert their dominance early. And if they can successfully do that, then against a young Reds side, they’ll have a huge chance of being able to get on with the job. One goal in the opening 15-20 minutes and continuing to press after that, even at Hindmarsh Stadium, it’s quite difficult to see the Victory losing in that scenario. So, if Adelaide want a shot in this one, exploiting some of their older, more slower players would be a decent starting point and then move on from there.
Betting tips: Pick the Victory to be the winning side at $3.25 (bet365, BlueBet, UniBet)
Pick them to score first at $2.25 (bet365)
And also pick each side to score at least 1+ goal each at $1.61 (bet365)
Sunday, January 24
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Wellington Phoenix v Newcastle Jets6:05 PM AEDT, WIN Stadium |
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Last game- In Wollongong a lil while ago, the Phoenix put on a brave performance via their 1-1 draw against the Bulls. Rufer was shown a ridiculous red in the 62nd min for sticking his foot out onto an opposition player, despite that being based of the way he landed rather then anything else. But they held on in the face of adversity and should be extremely proud of how they performed! Ball opened the scoring for the Nix in the 39th min. That was before Susaeta scored Macarthur’s goal in the 67th min of the game. With 44% possession of the ball, the nix shot a respectable 4/12 on target. And they also completed 79% of their passes, something that was good for 317/400. And during the course of the match, they conceded 10 fouls, 3 yellows and of course the very dumbfounding red card.
At the time of writing, Newcastle are yet to face Brisbane. So that means that their latest match was their close 2-1 defeat to Macarthur at Hunter Stadium last Sunday afternoon. In a positive for Newcastle, Yuel scored his first goal for the club with a 42nd min effort. However, some non-positives for the Jets, Puyo opened the scoring in just the 8th min with a crazy bicycle kick effort that went right past Jack Duncan and into the back of the net. And the away side followed that up with a Derbyshire goal in the 23rd min. With 44% of the ball, Newcastle shot a quite good 5/13 on target. But, they also only completed 73% of their passes. That was poor and only good for 285/389. During the game they gave up 15 fouls and 2 yellows.
Past history- The Phoenix have won 6 of the previous 11 clashes played between these two sides. They have an ever so slight edge, but not by much! And when these two sides last clashed in Kogarah of August 2020, it was all Newcastle all the way! They prevailed with a rather easy 3-0 victory during what was the short-but-successful Carl Robinson era. Fitzgerald scored first in the 45th min. Then Ibini scored the Jets second in the 76th min. And it was three when Hoffman backed up Ibini’s effort with one of his own just 3 mins later. That match the Jets shot 5/14 on target, with a shot of the woodwork. They also completed an incredible 88% of their passes! Something that was good for 505/574.
What should happen- I’m not saying the Jets will take this clash out, but against a weakened Phoenix side, who haven’t played for a lil while, this would be the perfect opportunity for Newcastle to claim their maiden win of the season and really get it up and running for good. And if they are to be victorious, then former NPL turned A-League pro Valentine Yuel will have a lot to say about it. In the leadup to the Jets last game, a lot of people bagged him, but he shut the haters up right quick with a goal and his consistent liveliness throughout the match always gave the Jets at least a chance to snatch a point. He also had a shot assist against Macarhur and won 6/12 duels. His speed as well is a crucial asset. He at least tries to make things happen, which is partly why he’ll be a big factor to the outcome of this game.
Betting tips: Pick Newcastle to finally get in the winners circle in this one at $4.00 (UniBet)
Pick the 2nd half to be the highest scoring one at odds of $2.00 or more
And also pick the Jets to score the games last goal at odds of $2.00 or more
Tuesday, January 26
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Melbourne Victory v Perth Glory7:05 PM AEDT, AAMI Park |
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Last game- When these two sides last went head-to-head, it was on the 8th of August last year, at Jubilee Stadium. And it resulted in a thorough 4-0 thrashing in favour of the Victory! Rojos opened the rout with a goal in the 29th min. Then Nabbout added to it in the 60th min. 9 Minutes after that, Rojas had his double. And Kambosa completed the steal with a late 92nd min effort. Melbourne throughout the match owned 41% possession of the ball and Perth, 59%. And the match saw the Victory go a very good 7/15 on target and the Glory, a very bad 0/4. The two sides completed their passes at a 79% and 87% accuracy rate. Good for 349/441 and 537/620 respectively. Melbourne won 62 duels and 13 aerial duels. While those numbers for Perth were 41 and 6. And finally, the Victory leaked 17 fouls and 2 yellows during the game. That while Perth leaked 16 fouls and 3 yellows.
Past history- Melbourne have won 3 of the previous 4 clashes that have been played out between these two highly entertaining and highly successful sides. And those winning score-lines from newest to oldest have been 4-0, 1-0 and 2-0. Before the 4-0 embarrassment, it was a 2-2 draw at NIB Stadium, in the February of 2020. Toivonen opened the scoring in the 23rd min. That was before Fornaroli scored in the 47th min. And then just 11 mins after that, Nabbout scored to give the Victory the advantage again. And then in the 90th min it was absolute scenes as D’Agostino scored the late and absolutely crucial equalizer. Perth shot 4/14 on target that match, with a shot hitting the woodwork. And as for the Victory, they were 3/8. And interestingly enough, each side also won exactly 57 duels each throughout the duration of the match.
What should happen- Both teams can’t win, so I give Perth the slight edge in this one and here’s why. Fornaroli. I’m not saying he will be the difference-maker in this game, but if anyone can be, it will be him. Not to mention he has a high pedigree as an extremely talented player and as an ex-Melbourne City man, he loves to beat the Victory. Gestede is inexperienced in the A-League, which is why Bruno gets the advantage here. Look for him to stake out any potential goal-scoring opportunities and have at the very least a credible impact in what should be a tight Glory victory.
Betting tips: Pick the Glory to win at $2.80 (Sportsbet)
Also pick the Glory to score first at odds of $1.30 or more
And pick D’Agostino to score anytime at odds of $2.50 or more
Best Bets of the Round
Pick Barbarouses (Sydney) to score anytime against the Mariners at $2.45 (UniBet)
Also pick the 2nd half of Perth vs W.U. to be the highest scoring one at $2.00 (bet365)
And pick Gestede to get of the mark and score against Adelaide at $3.25 (UniBet)