The following are previews with betting tips for Matchweek 7 of the 2020/21 A-League season.
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Friday, February 5
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Adelaide United v Perth Glory7:05 PM AEDT, Coopers Stadium |
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Last match- Perth claimed their 2nd win of the season last time out, from 4 attempts, as they toppled City 3-1 at AAMI Park. They may have conceded to Maclaren in the 33rd min, however outside of that they were on point throughout the match. Stynes scored 1st in the 11th min and then Ingham made it 2 before half-time as he scored in the 42nd min. And then the upset victory was completed with another D’Agostino strike in the 84th min of the match. The Glory only owned 37% of the ball, but still managed to shoot 3/11 on target, + have a shot come of the woodwork. But they only completed 73% of their passes, something that was good for 255/347. And they gave up just 5 fouls and 2 yellows throughout the clash.
As for the Reds, they suffered only their 2nd loss of the season, as they went down 3-1 to the Roar at Redcliffe Stadium. For the home-side, Wenzell-Halls got 2X goals and O’Shea X1. The only reprieve for Adelaide was their consolation strike in the 82nd min to Konstandopoulos. And with 53% possession of the ball, they shot a disappointing 1/5 on target. However, they did complete 82% of their passes. Good for 401/487. Finally, they leaked 11 fouls and 1 yellow card throughout the match.
Past history- 2 Of the last 2 games played between these sides have ended up as 5-3 games. Once to Perth and once to Adelaide. Then out of the previous 4 games played between them, on 5 different times a team has scored 3 goals. Those are 2 crazy stats! The latest 5-3 saw Perth prevail in their season opener at NIB Stadium. Their goals came via Kilknenny (10th min), twice to D’Agostino (34th and 60th mins), Fornaroli (51st min) and Armiento (84th min).
What should happen- A Perth W. Beating City in Melbourne is something that most teams struggle to do. But the Glory did it after this being their 3rd game in 7 days. Imagine what they can do with a lil bit of rest up against a reeling Adelaide side? It will take a lot to beat the Glory here and with lads such as D’Agostino (4 goals and 2 shot assists this season) and Armiento (3 goals and 2 assists this season) really stepping up, they should prove a step to far for the Reds in this one.
Betting tips- Pick Perth to win at $2.90 (Bet365)
And also pick them to score first at $2.10 (Bet365)
Saturday, February 6
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Brisbane Roar v Melbourne Victory5:05 PM AEDT, Dolphin Stadium |
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Last match- At Dolphin Stadium in Redcliffe, Brisbane turned on the motors last time out, as they thrashed Adelaide 3 goals to 1. This was very impressively their 3rd victory of the campaign from only 4 tries. They may have leaked a late consolation in the 82nd min, but that simply didn’t matter thanks to Wenzel-Halls. He continued to add to his quickly growing status by scoring in the 37th and 78th mins of the match, while O’Shea also had one on the stroke of half-time in the 45th min. With 47% ownage of the ball, the Roar shot a pretty decent 7/18 on target. They also completed 83% of their passes. Good for 348/420. And they gave up 11 fouls and 3 yellows during the match.
As for the Victory, they claimed only their 4th point of the season after a fairly lucky 0-0 draw with W.U. at AAMI Park. W.U. had a couple of perhaps should have been goals ruled out for various reasons, so perhaps Melbourne can count themselves a tad lucky that they even got a point from this one. With 47% possession of the ball, they shot 4/15 on target. That along with a shot hitting the woodwork. And besides that, they also completed 82% of their passes, something that was good for 373/454. While 16 was the big number of fouls that they conceded throughout the encounter, +2 yellows.
Past history- Brisbane have won the last 2 contested clashes against the Victory. However, the Victory won the previous 4 before those. Last time out it was 3-1 to Brisbane at AAMI Park, in what was Melbourne’s season opener. The Roar’s strikes came via McDonald (16th min), Gillesphey (60th min) and Wenzel-Halls (79th min).
What should happen- A Brisbane victory. They’ve won 3/4 this season and are coming of a commanding 3-1 win over Adelaide. + They’ve already beaten Melbourne 3-1 this season. They are on a strong run of form at the moment and the Victory just aren’t consistent enough to post any legitimate, real threat to them and stopping that run in the process. And when you look at the form of Wenzel-Halls. He already scored 1 against the Victory earlier in a game already mentioned, while he put 2 past Adelaide and has 4 goals on the season. Even if Brisbane somehow struggle, he’ll have the form that scrapes them through with the W.
Betting tips- Pick Brisbane to be victorious at $2.12 (Unibet)
Pick them to find the back of the net first at $1.72 (Bet365)
And pick them to also find the back of the net last at $1.72 (Bet365)
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Macarthur FC v Western Sydney7:10 PM AEDT, Campbelltown Stadium |
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Last match- The Bulls definitely didn’t play to their capabilities last weekend, as Sydney thrashed them 3-0 at Campbelltown Stadium. And in just the 21st min of this new Derby this was already lots of drama as Milligan took down a racing Buhagiar close to their goals and as such he received a red card. Besides that, there was a HT delay of roughly an hour due to the torrential rain that coming down in and around the stadium. And prior to the match, controversy had been created with the Bulls charging the Cove $50 for active away seats. It all went down in this match, that’s for sure! Macarthur owned 41% of the ball and went 4/9 on target. They also completed 82% of their passes, good for 306/375. And they gave up 8 fouls, 3 yellows and the Milligan red during the course of the game.
The Wanderers 1-1 draw against Newcastle at Bankwest Stadium was their 8th point of the season and one that sees them currently in quite a strong position. Ibini bagged his maiden WSW goal in the 36th min, much to the delight of the home-crowd. That was with a right footed shot to the centre of the goals. But then late on in the 80th min, Ziegler fouled Prso in the box and O’Donovan converted the ensuing spot-kick to make the score-line what it was. With 44% of the ball, WSW went 3/13 on target, with a shot also hitting the woodwork. And additionally, they completed 81% of their passes, good for 350/431. Whilst during the match they gave up 12 fouls and 4 yellows.
Past history- The only previous time when these sides have clashed, was back on the 30th of DEC, last year. In Parramatta, the Bulls prevailed 1-0. The goal came via a deflected Milligan spot-kick in the 72nd min of the clash. The Bulls shot 6/20 on target in that one and WSW went 6/13. While Macarthur completed 83% of their passes and WSW 78%. Good for 409/491 and 320/412 respectively.
What should happen- A rebound Bulls victory. Down to 10 men with over 20 mins left of H1 against Sydney, they were by far the better team. And that’s not something that most teams get to say against the reigning champs! They’ll have learnt their lessons from their heavy defeat and will be ready to spring right back into action against the Red & Black. And ‘Redders’ kept them out of it with some great, experienced saves. Margush won’t be able to do that, as good of a young GK as he may be. What didn’t work against the Sky Blues should against the Wanderers.
Betting tips- Pick the Bulls to win at $2.20 (BlueBet, Unibet)
Also pick both teams to score at least one goal each at $1.61 (Bet365, Unibet)
Sunday, February 7
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Newcastle Jets v Melbourne City4:05 PM AEDT, McDonald Jones Stadium |
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Last match- The Jets backed up their previous 2-1 win over Wellington with another positive result, this time a decent 1-1 draw with WSW at Bankwest Stadium. This was their 4th point of the season, after they lost their opening 4 to start the campaign of with. They may have conceded a goal to former Jet Bernie Ibini in the 36th min, but that didn’t really matter in the end. In the 81st min, O’Donovan scored a penalty which made the scores ultimately what they were. That came after a Ziegler foul on Prso. Newy had 56% of the ball, but somehow managed to go only 1/17 on target! And they had a shot come of the woodwork as well. They also completed an extraordinarily strong 87% of their passes as well. Something that was good for 458/527. And they only gave up 9 fouls and 1 yellow throughout the match.
For City, their 3-1 loss to Perth in Melbourne was a very how did this happen type game. It was their 2nd defeat from 4 games to open the season and given the schedule that Perth had to deal with prior to this clash, City should’ve really put them away quite early on. Their sole goal came via Maclaren in the 33rd min. Whilst they leaked goals to Stynes (11th min), Ingham (42nd min) and D’Agostino (84th min). With 63% possession of the ball, they shot 4/19 on target. That along with having 2 shots hit the woodwork. And they also completed a strong 84% of their passes. That being something that was good for 486/578. And they leaked a quite significant 16 fouls and 1 yellow during the clash.
Past history- City have won 12 of the past 19 games against Newcastle. And more recently 2 of the last 3. However, the last time the two sides met in Newcastle, the Jets prevailed 2-1. Their strikes were produced via Fitzgerald in the 46th min and then through Ugarkovic in the 78th min. And with 50% of the ball, they went an impressive 9/16 on target.
What should happen- Newcastle’s hot form comes to an abrupt stop. City will be far too good for the Jets in this clash. They will be reeling heavily after their shock defeat to the Glory and will want to avenge that pretty quickly and what better team to do so then against the last-placed Jets. They have also conceded at least 1 goal, if not more, in every match they’ve played to date this season. And we all know City are obviously capable of producing them in bunches. When they go hand-on-hand, like it does right here, that paints a picture of trouble for the Jets.
Betting tips- Pick City to be victorious at $2.20 (BlueBet, Bet365)
Pick there to be at least one goal in each half at $1.56 (Unibet)
And pick H2 to be the highest scoring half at $2.00 (Unibet)
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Central Coast v Western United6:10 PM AEDT, Central Coast Stadium |
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Last match- The Mariners latest match was played at Bluetongue Stadium. There they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Wellington. This was just their 2nd defeat of the campaign to date. Davila scored 1st in the 15th min for the away side. That was before Kuol evened the scores in the 41st min. however a late 88th min Sotirio effort broke the hearts of the Mariners fans and players alike, as the Nix came away with the tightly contested victory. With 46% possession of the ball, they shot 6/23 on target. They also completed 79% of their passes, something that was good for 336/424. And they gave up a massive 17 fouls and 1 yellow during the game.
For W.U., their 0-0 draw against the Victory at AAMI Park was their 2nd draw of the season from 4 contested clashes. Diamanti very unluckily hit the post X2, with some amazing efforts! Whilst they were a bit hard done by the refs with a couple of perhaps should’ve stood goals being called back. If I was Mark Rudan, I’d be asking for a huge please explain! With 53% possession of the ball, they shot just 3/15 on target. They did however complete a great 82% of their passes. That being something that was good for 427/522. And they gave up 14 fouls and 5 yellows during the course of the match.
Past history- W.U. have won 2 of the overall 3 clashes between these 2 sides. And last time they met. They absolutely thrashed them to the tune of a 6-2 score-line at GMHBA Stadium last year. W.U.’s goals that day were produced courtesy of Burgess X3 (25th, 30th and 43rd mis), Berisha X2 (9th and 89th mins) and Durante X1 (61st min).
What should happen- The Mariners, despite their defeat, have still conceded just 2 goals over 5 games this season. While for W.U., they’ve produced 0, 1, 5 and 0 goals over their opening 4 games this season. So, they are a relatively unknown quality as of yet. So, it should produce an interesting, yet entertaining clash of Football. If the Mariners defend like they’re capable of doing, which they should, then even the free-scoring heroics of Diamanti and Co will find them difficult to break down. However, given recent results, expect a tight W.U. victory.
Betting tips- Pick both teams to score at least once each at $1.57 (Bet365)
Also pick the HT/FT double to be W.U./W.U. at $4.00 (Bet365)
Monday, February 8
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Sydney FC v Wellington Phoenix7:10 PM AEDT, Netstrata Jubilee Stadium |
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Last match- Sydney finally broke through for just their 2nd win of the season last Saturday night, as they trashed the Bulls 3-0 out West. A Milligan red in the 21st min, dominated the early proceedings as he took down a Buhagiar that was through on goals. And the weather also played a fair bit of an impact, as the game was delayed at HT for around an hour due to the torrential rain and thunder that was nearby the stadium. And boy oh boy! Didn’t Sydney turn it on in H2! Wood scored in the 66th min, then Ninkovic bagged one 10 mins later, then Wood scored again in the 86th min to make the score-line what it was. Sydney owned 59% of the ball and shot 5/20 on target. They also completed a particularly good 88% of their passes, good for 481/546. And finally, they leaked only 13 fouls and 2 yellows during the game.
While for Wellington, at Bluetongue Stadium, they claimed their 1st victory of the season, beating the CCM 2-1. Davila scored 1st in the 15th min, while Sotirio scored the insane late winner in the 88th min, as he shot with his right foot to the top right corner, after an assist from Rufer. They also had 54% ownage of the ball, as they went 3/12 on target. They also completed their passes at a good 81% clip, 413/512. And they leaked 14 fouls and 1 yellow during the game.
Past history- Sydney have won 8 of their last 10 clashes against the Nix. That includes the last 2 for a combined score-line of 5-2. And both sides season opener this campaign was Sydney’s 2-1 win at the Wollongong Showground. Nieuwenhof scored a spectacular long-range strike in the 29th min and then Brattan in the 55th min banged in an awesome free-kick attempt!
What should happen- Milos Ninkovic! He terrorized the club that nearly snared him away from Sydney with a fine individual goal last weekend and now look for him to continue to beat the Nix as he mostly has through the Sky Blues part of his Footballing journey. Besides the goal he had against the Bulls, he also had 3 shot assists, 45 accurate passes (90% completion rate), won 9/10 duels, 1/1 aerial duels, 2/2 tackles and 2/2 take ons. That’s some sort of a performance! Expect him to keep it up against Wellington in what should be a relatively easy Sky Blues victory.
Betting tips- Pick Sydney to win at $1.83 (Sportsbet)
Also pick there to be goals in each half at $1.63 (Unibet)
And pick Sydney to also produce the games first goal at $1.53 (Bet365)
Best Bets of the Round
In the ADL vs PER clash, pick H2 to be the highest scoring one at $2.00 (Bet365)
Also in the CCM vs W.U. clash, pick H2 to be the highest scoring one at $2.00 (Bet365)
And pick Wood to sore anytime for SYD vs WEL at odds of $2.30 or more when they become available