The following are previews with betting tips for Matchweek 6 of the 2020/21 A-League season.
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Friday, January 29
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Western Sydney v Newcastle Jets7:05 PM AEDT, Bankwest Stadium |
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Last match- The Wanderers latest match was their second win of the season from four attempts. And that came about via a tight and tense 1-0 victory over the Mariners in Gosford. The games sole-goal was produced via the late, thriller Muller winner in the 83rd min of the match. And it was only 1 of 2 shots that the Red & Black had on target the entire game, despite owning 64% possession of the ball. In addition, their passes were completed at a strong 86% clip. Good for 588/681. And they leaked only 7 fouls and no cards throughout the game.
Newcastle in the leadup to their latest hit-out, had lost their first four of the season. So, you can bet your bottom dollar they were finally glad to claim a scrappy, yet memorable 2-1 victory over the Nix not that long ago. At the Wollongong showground, Yuel scored his 3rd from 3 games, as he opened the scoring in just the 8th min of the match. Then O’Donovan had his 1st of the campaign, as he found the back of the net in the 51st min. And there was a tense finish after Davila converted the 85th min spot-kick, after an Archbold foul. But the Jets were gusty and held on! Newcastle only shot 3/11 on target, with 35% of the ball. And they also only completed 69% of their passes, good for just 209/301. And they gave up 12 fouls and 2 yellows during the game.
Past history- From these sides past 9 clashes, the Wanderers have claimed the W once. However, that was in their most recent clash against Newcastle, which saw them win 2-1. Their goal-scorers that day were Gordon (7th min) and Russell (57th min).
What should happen- Let the good times continue to roll on for the Jets. Their victory over the Nix this season was their first of the still relatively new campaign. And now they come face-to-face against WSW, a side whom they played competitively earlier in the season, in what was a spritely 2-1 defeat. And the departures of ex-coach Robinson and ex-player Ibini will still burn strongly for a lot of the Jets lads. So, what better way to show their passion and vigour then by beating them on their home-turf (Bankwest Stadium)? Not many! And with new Aussie citizen O’Donovan having opened his account for the season during the W, and Yuel with 3 goals from his last 3 games, the Jets are sure to have a lot of fun in this one!
Betting tips: Pick the Jets to win at $3.10 (Bet365)
Also pick O’Donovan to score anytime for NEW at $2.62 (Bet365)
And pick both teams to score at $1.61 (Bet365)
Saturday, January 30
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Western United v Melbourne Victory5:05 PM AEDT, AAMI Park |
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Last match- At GMHBA Stadium, Western United held on for their maiden victory of the campaign with an absolutely thrilling 5-4 win over the Glory. They might’ve leaked goals in the 56th, 58th, 69th and 78th mins of the match … but that didn’t stop them from toppling the Glory via strikes from Sanchez (10th min), Pierias X2 (60th and 64th mins), Imai (75th min) and then the awesome, late winner courtesy of Lustica (84th min). With 54% ownage of the ball, W.U. shot 6/14 on target, with a shot also hitting the woodwork. And they completed 80% of their passes as well, something that was good for 369/461. While 14 was the number of fouls they gave up during the game, +4 yellows.
As for the Victory, they became 0 and 2 after their 1-0 loss to Adelaide at Hindmarsh Stadium. M. Toure produced a brilliant individual effort in the 53rd min, which proved to ultimately be the only goal within the game. And the Victory were just plain terrible with their chances, as they went only 1/8 on target. And they had a shot come of the woodwork as well. They also completed 84% of their passes. That being something that was good for 422/501. And they gave up 11 fouls and 5 yellows throughout the duration of the match.
Past history- Western United have won all 3 of the clashes that have been contested between these two sides. From newest to oldest, those scores have been 2-1, 3-1 and 3-2. Their goal-scorers in the 2-1 match were Uskok (38th min) and Burgess (57th min).
What should happen- I was pretty of during the past week when I said that the Victory would lay claim-to-fame with a win against ADL. They looked pretty bang average, if that :0. As for W.U. they just scored 5 in a crazy win against PER. So, the two sides are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum at the moment. And as displayed against the Glory, the Green & Black can create a goal out of absolutely nothing. And as for the Victory, they have just 1 goal from 2 games this season! Yikes! And with key attackers such as Kambosa (2 shots, 0 goals) and Gestede (1 shot, 0 goals), continuing to misfire, it’s hard to see MEL doing much this match. As such, pick a rather comfortable W.U. result to be the end game here.
Betting tips: Pick W.U. to win at $2.25 (Sportsbet)
Also pick them to score first at $1.72 (Bet365)
And pick both teams to score at $1.53 (Unibet)
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Macarthur FC v Sydney FC7:10 PM AEDT, Campbelltown Stadium |
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Last match- The Bulls last match was a 2-1 victory over the Jets in Newcastle. A match that proved to be their 2nd win from 4 games so far this year. Despite conceding to a fine Yuel effort on the stroke of HT (42nd min), they did some fine work of their own indeed. Puyo scored a great bicycle kick goal that went straight past Jack Duncan, in just the 8th min of the game. Then after that it was Derbyshire who doubled the lead with his first Macarthur goal in the 23rd min. This game simply had it all! And with 56% possession of the ball, the Bulls shot 4/10 on target. And they had a shot hit the woodwork. That while a decent 80% of their attempted passes were completed. Good for 416/523. However quite negatively for them, they gave up a quite significant 21 fouls during the game, as well as 5 yellows.
As for the Sky Blues, they endured their first defeat of the season, as they went down 2-0 to the Mariners at Kogarah. They might’ve had a goal ruled off for offside, but it just didn’t matter, as the Mariners were by the far the more dominant and by far the better team! A Warland OG in the 53rd min gave the Central Coast the advantage. And then Kuol banged one in during the 74th min, much to the delight of the small but raucous section of away fans. Sydney with 58% of the ball, shot 4/12 on target. While they completed 83% of their passes. That being something that was good for 431/522. And they leaked 10 fouls and 1 yellow during the game.
Big question- How will Sydney rebound from last matchweek’s disappointing performance? They went down 2-0 to the Mariners in ugly fashion at Kogarah. And one key thing for them is to get Barbarouses firing again, if he can do that, then that provides Sydney with a legit goal-scorer up front. And that is something that they DESPERATELY need at the moment.
What should happen- Macarthur get the win. They’ve been a much better team this campaign so far to start of with, then that of what Sydney have been. And while the Bulls did go down 3-0 to the CCM earlier on in the season, that was a while ago. While Sydney’s defeat was just last week. The Bulls tend to shoot the ball a lot, and so far, this season from 4 games they have a fairly decent 4 goals to show for it. In comparison for the Sky Blues, from their past 2 games, they’ve had a total of 28 shots and scored just 1 goal. And that 1 goal was through a rather controversial penalty. If Sydney couldn’t fix their issues at home, then in Campbelltown it will be hell for them to attempt to solve them. This may come as a shock to some, but Macarthur will be getting those crucial 3 points here.
Betting tips: Pick the Bulls to win at $3.00 (Bet365)
Pick them to score first at $2.10 (Bet365)
And pick the 2nd half to be the highest scoring one at $2.00 (Bet365)
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Brisbane Roar v Adelaide United9:15 PM AEDT, Dolphin Stadium |
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Last match- Brisbane have some vintage form going on at the moment. Their latest match was a strong 2-1 win over the Jets in Newcastle, their second victory so far this campaign. They opened the scoring through Danzaki in just the 6th min. And cemented the 3 points with another Wenzel-Halls strike (61st min). And sandwiched in-between those two was a 38th min Yuel goal for the home-side. Brisbane had 45% of the ball and shot just 2/4 on target. That opposed to Newcastle who had 22 shots (and 6 on target) in total. The Roar also completed 73% of their passes. That being good for 296/404. And they leaked 11 fouls and no cards throughout the course of the match.
For the Reds, they’re in 2nd place at the moment, with an exceptionally fine 7 points from 4 games so far. And their latest game played out at Hindmarsh Stadium, saw them overcome the Victory to the tune of a 1-0 score-line. M. Toure, the fantastic 16-year-old, produced the games only goal, as he scored with a great solo effort in the 53rd min of the match. Adelaide also owned 43% of the ball, as they shot 6/11 on target. Outside of that, they completed their attempted passes at a decent 80% clip. Good for 300/374. BUT they did however concede a fairly big 21 fouls and 3 yellows during the match.
Past history- The Reds have won 7 of the last 10 games played between these two sides. Last time it was 1-0 in their favour on the Gold Coast. Opseth scored the games only goal in the 6th min.
What should happen- Brisbane have won 2/3 so far and Adelaide 2/4, with a draw in there as well. This is the clash of two of the early season heavyweights and what a match it should prove to be. In goals you have Freke, a talented 22-year-old who made 5 saves last time out against NEW. Who comes up against Delianov, a talented 21-year-old. He has kept 3 clean sheets from just 4 games this season! So, if you want a positional battle to focus on throughout the match, then this will be a key one. Both sides have also each scored a fair chunk of goals this season. That meaning both youngsters should be heavily involved throughout the match. No doubt these two will have a positive impact on the eventual outcome of this should be exciting clash.
Betting tips: Pick both teams to score at $1.58 (Unibet)
Also pick the highest scoring half to be the 2nd half at $2.00 (Bet365)
And pick Kudo to score at anytime for BRI at $3.25 (Bet365)
Sunday, January 31
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Central Coast v Wellington Phoenix4:05 PM AEDT, Central Coast Stadium |
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Last match- The Central Coast are now 3/4 after their strong and commanding performance over the stuttering Sky Blues this past round. They won 2-0 at Jubilee Stadium in a result that not even the most optimistic of supporters would’ve seen coming, and I certainly did not. A Warland OG in the 53rd min got the ball rolling. And then in the 74th min Kuol made it official with a bit of a banger of his own, to which he loved it as did the travelling away fans and rightfully so! They deserved this one, despite Sydney’s ruled out VAR no-goal! And with 42% of the ball, they still managed to go 4/9 on target. Outside of that, they completed 79% of their passes, good for 304/391. And they only gave up 5 fouls and 2 yellows during the game.
For the Nix, their 2-1 loss to the Jets at the Wollongong Showground means that they are now 1-2 on the season. And while Davila converted the 85th min spot-kick, it wasn’t enough to prevent the 1-goal defeat. They still played alright though, with 65% possession of the ball. Whilst they also shot 8/23 on target and completed 84% of their pass attempts. 469/560. And they gave up 12 fouls and only 1 yellow during the match. And the goals they leaked were through Yuel, then his attacking partner in crime, O’Donovan.
Past history- The Nix have won 8 of the last 11 games in which they’ve played against the Central Coast. The latest of those they were victorious 3 goals to 1. Their goal-scorers that day were Cacace (18th min), Hooper (30th min) and Sotirio (78th min).
What should happen- If we’re being completely real and honest here, then there’s no way that the Nix should’ve lost to the Jets in the way that they did recently. They allowed them way, way too many chances and ultimately, they paid the price for it and rightfully so! So, figures they shouldn’t be nearly as bad in this one. But that’s not a given though. As for the CCM, they’re obviously on a hard-to-stop roll at the moment. And one absolutely mental statistic that sticks out from their season so far is that from four games, they’ve leaked just 1 goal! Yep just 1! The Nix should score at least 1 here, but really when it’s all said and done, expect the CCM’s defence to stick out and that to be what gives them all 3 points.
Betting tips: Pick the CCM to win at $3.40 (Bet365)
Also pick the CCM to score last at $2.20 (Bet365)
And pick both teams to score at $1.58 (BlueBet)
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Melbourne City v Perth Glory6:40 PM AEDT, AAMI Park |
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Last match- City’s latest match was a 2-1 effort over W.U., a match played at AAMI Park. This was their second win of the season, from just three attempts. Vujica opened the scoring for the opposition in the 22nd min. However, just 10 mins later, Noone evened up the scores. And then in the 84th min came Maclaren! With the assist from Colakovski, he calmly shot the shot to the bottom left corner to give his side the dramatic W. And with 44% possession of the ball, they went 7/16 on target, as they also had a shot hit the woodwork. And their passes were only completed at a 78% clip. Good for just 307/394. Whilst they leaked just 10 fouls and only 1 yellow during the match.
Whilst for the Glory, they couldn’t quite get it done in what was their first loss of the season, at GHMBA Stadium. They went down 5-4 in a simply thrilling affair to W.U. They leaked goals in the 10th, 60th, 64th, 75th and 84th mins of the match. Meanwhile, their own goals were produced through Armiento X2 (56th and 78th mins), Fornaroli (58th min) and D’Agostino (69th min). They shot a solid 7/13 on target, with 46% ownage of the ball. And they also completed just 79% of their passes, good for only 315/400. And their fouls were at 10, and yellows at just the 1.
Past history- 3 Of the last 5 games played between these two sides have resulted in a draw. However, the last clash between the two of em, saw City win 3-2. Their goal-scorers were Griffiths (24th min), Berenguer (30th min) and Susaeta (34th min).
What should happen- For the Glory, they scored 5 goals in their opening match vs ADL. Then, even though they lost, they still scored 4 against Western United. This team is like an attacking train, they just keep on chugging on no matter what and no matter who they’re up against. As for City, with both Maclaren and Noone in their side, you know they can always rack em up in a match. And they produced 2 against W.U. last week and have scored in 2/3 matches this campaign. This match will be quite incredibly entertaining. Either side could take it out honestly. And if you’re a neutral on the fence about watching it, do so for the bountiful goals that are no doubt bound to ensure.
Betting tips: Pick City to win at $2.10 (UniBet, BlueBet, Sportsbet)
Also pick them to score first at $1.66 (Bet365)
And pick both teams to score at least once each at $1.61 (Bet365)
Wednesday, February 3
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Central Coast v Melbourne City7:00 PM AEDT, Central Coast Stadium |
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Key Players- For the Mariners, it’s hard to go past Alou Kuol. He scored the match-sealing goal in the 74th min against Sydney last week and was red-hot throughout the match. He had 2 shots on target in total, whilst he won 2/2 tackles, 3/3 takeons and 7 duels all up (54% of them). And on the season, he has 2 strikes and 2 shot assists. + He’s won all of his other tackle attempts as well (5 in total). His speed and innate ability to sniff a goal out of seemingly nowhere will be crucial against a City side that are sure to have plenty of their own chances.
And when you address City, Luna rakes in as kind of an x-factor sort of a player down in the Midfield. This season he’s had 3 shot assists and 1 big chance created. He’s also completed 50 accurate passes (79% completion rate), won 8/16 duels, and made 3/3 tackles. If he’s on in this one, he could help give City a healthy and commanding lead against the current A-League leaders. However, if he’s off, it will severely impact City’s ability to execute their own game-plan properly. Whichever version of him turns up to this encounter, will no doubt be influential on the eventual outcome of the game.
Past history- City have won 10 of the previous 14 clashes between these two sides. The latest of those was a commanding 4-2 victory. Melbourne’s goals that day came via 3X to Maclaren in the 5th, 48th and 74th mins, +1 to Susaeta in the 10th min.
What should happen- Both sides will have already played once this past round, so it’s not easy to judge how their fatigue will set in and how it may potentially impact them late on in the match. But really when you asses the two sides, as good as the Mariners have been/ and currently are this season, City just ooze class all throughout the park. And they’ve been a massive thorn for the Mariners lately (as mentioned previously). So, whether it’s close or a big City W, expect them to take this one out. But ….. if the CCM can take advantage of their limited chances throughout the game and work hard constantly and tirelessly, then they may have a slim chance of taking something out of this one, perhaps a point or maybe even more :0.
Betting tips: Pick City to win at $2.04 (Unibet)
Also pick City to score first at $1.66 (Bet365)
And pick Maclaren to score at anytime at $1.87 (Unibet)
Best Bets of the Round
In the MAC vs SYD clash, pick Derbyshire to score anytime at $2.50 (Bet365)
Also pick Davila to score anytime vs CCM at $1.95 (Bet365)
And pick Fornaroli to score anytime vs City at $2.25 (Bet365)