The following are previews with betting tips for Matchweek 8 of the 2020/21 A-League season.
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Friday, February 12
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Macarthur FC v Adelaide United7:05 PM AEDT, Campbelltown Stadium |
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Last match- For the Bulls, their latest clash was a 2-2 draw vs the Wanderers in the Battle of the West. That was contested at Campbelltown Stadium and has left them in 6th spot on the ladder, but also just 2 points of 3rd place. Jovanovic scored in the 18th min for Macarthur to get the ball rolling, while their 2nd strike came courtesy of Susnjar in the 58th min of the match. They owned 53% of the ball yet shot just 2/12 on target. They did however complete a strong 83% of their passes, good for 459/583. And during the match, they gave up 10 fouls and 1 yellow.
For Adelaide, last matchweek they went down to Perth 2-1, in what was a very closely contested clash at Hindmarsh Stadium. Despite the loss being their 3rd of the campaign, they’re still only a sole point of a finals berth. Mauk opened the scoring for the home side in the 20th min. However, in the 2nd half it was all Perth. Fornaroli evened things up in the 73rd min, before 10 mins later a Timotheou OG made the game what it was. Despite owning just 37% of the ball, the Reds still managed to shoot a respectable 6/12 on target. Their passes though, were completed at just a 75% accuracy rate, good for only 256/340. They also gave up 15 fouls and 2 yellows during the game.
Key battle- These two sides have yet to play against each other as of yet. But they’re both on the opposite end of thing’s, aren’t they? Macarthur has a much older squad and Adelaide has a much younger squad. It will be interesting to see how the relatively inexperienced, yet pacey Lachie Rose fares against Stefan Mauk. They both play more forward on the field then back and each offers so much to their side in terms of their hustle and a will to win. For Rose, he’s produced 8 shot assists this season and Mauk, 4. Keep an eye on this one, especially if things get a lil bit headed between the two of them.
Key player- It has to be Matt Derbyshire. This season the Striker has just 1 goal and 2 shot assists to his name. He simply has to perform better to warrant the faith shown in him by the club. If he’s going to perform, then there’s no better club to do it against than Adelaide. They a side who have a tendency for conceding a large number of goals this season. Could Adelaide be the side who he gets his confidence back against?
Betting tips- Pick the Bulls to win at $2.20 (BlueBet, Bet365, Sportsbet)
Also pick them to score last at $1.72 (Bet365)
Saturday, February 13
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Western United v Sydney FC5:05 PM AEDT, AAMI Park |
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Last match- W.U’s latest match was a tight 3-2 loss to the mariners in Gosford. They are currently 10th on the ladder, with just 5 points to their name. And it was their 2nd defeat from 5 games so far. They opened the scoring incredibly early on via Uskok in just the 4th min. And their 2nd came from Berisha in the 42nd min. However, a double to the on fire Kuol, including his 81st min winner, meant that W.U headed home empty handed. W.U had 46% ownage of the ball and shot 4/9 on target. They also completed a decent 81% of their passes. Good for 324/398. Outside of that, they gave up 13 fouls and 3 yellows during the match.
For Sydney, on a chilly Monday night in Kogarah, they prevailed 2-1 over a stoic Wellington side. They are now back to 3rd on the ladder and it was their 3rd win of the year. They’re just 5 points of 1st place now. It wasn’t always easy for the Sky Blues, but a rare double to Barbarouses (32nd and 64th mins), was enough to get it done in the end. Although a 93rd min Davila strike 3 mins into 6 mins of added time made for a nervy finish for the home side. Especially so with Sydney being a man down from 87 mins onwards after Zuvela went off injured and Sydney had used all their available subs. They owned 45% of the ball and shot just 2/7 on target. They did however complete a great 85% of their passes, good for 378/444. And they gave up quite a significant 17 fouls and 4 yellows during the match.
Past history- These two sides have played two games against each other in total. W.U have won one and Sydney have won one. The latest clash was a 2-1 victory to W.U at Leichardt Oval. Berisha scored first in the 21st min. That was before Le Fondre evened things up in the 52nd min. And then Lustica banged in the 90th min winner to deliver his side the crazy victory. That clash, W.U shot 5/13 on target, with a shot also hitting the woodwork.
Key player- I mean it has to be Barbarouses right? He went off against the Nix with his two banger goals! With his 6 shot assists also this season, is he finally starting to play his way back into form? And given he scored 42 goals across his many seasons at the Victory, I think it’s pretty safe he knows how to find the back of the net at AAMI Park.
Betting tips- Pick Sydney to win at $2.40 (UniBet, BlueBet, Bet365, Sportsbet)
Also pick them to score first at $1.80 (Bet365)
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Western Sydney v Melbourne City7:10 PM AEDT, Bankwest Stadium |
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Last match- WSW’s latest clash was an extremely exciting 2-2 draw out west with the Bulls, in the 2nd edition of one of the newer Derbies between the two sides. It’s a result which has them in 5th spot on 9 points. And they’re just 2 wins of top spot at the moment. That being due to the incredible tightness of the A-League so far this season. In the 52nd min, Dorrans scored from a long, long way out, kicking it past the keeper and into the back of the net. Then in the 71st min, after a scorpion-kick assist from K. Baccus, Cox headed it in to even up the scores. And that is how the game remained. With 47% possession of the ball, WSW shot 5/18 on target, with a shot also hitting the woodwork. And they completed a great 85% of their passes as well, good for 412/483. And they leaked just 5 fouls and 2 yellows during the match.
For City, their woes continued during their 1-0 loss to the Jets in Newcastle. It was their 3rd loss in a row and sees them in 9th spot. They are also 9 points of the top spot at the moment! Yuel produced the games sole goal in the 40th min. With the possession split evenly at 50% each, City shot 4/11 on target. And they completed a pretty woeful 73% of their passes, good for only 305/417. During the course of the match also, they leaked 11 fouls and 2 yellows. Given the heavy investment into their squad, you’d think they’d want to pick up their form soon, otherwise could we see some drastic changes be made potentially?
Past history- City have won 5 of the last 8 games played between them and WSW. However, the last game ended as a 1-1 draw at AAMI Park. Before that, it was 3-2 and 3-0 in MEL’s favour. The draw saw Russell strike first for the away side in the 21st min. That was prior to Maclaren scoring in the 30th min and that is how the game ended. The home side shot 4/16 on target with 64% of the ball. WSW went 4/6 on target.
Key player- Adrian Luna. He’s a great player who has high expectations placed upon him at City. Except for one thing, he hasn’t really met those expectations so far this season. A key part of City’s Midfield, he’s scored just a single goal so far this year and has 0 actual goal assists. WSW have been a bit lax defensively recently, so now’s a good of a time as any to switch his form around.
Betting tips- Pick City to win at $2.60 (BlueBet, Sportsbet)
Also pick Jamie Maclaren to score anytime at $1.90 (Bet365)
Sunday, February 14
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Wellington Phoenix v Central Coast4:05 PM AEDT, WIN Stadium |
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Last match- For Wellington, a 93rd min Davila goal wasn’t quite enough for them at Jubilee Stadium, as they went down to Sydney 2-1. And it was ultimately a Barbarouses double that handed them the L in the end, their 3rd of the season. That as they currently occupy 11th/2nd last place on the A-League ladder. With 55% of the ball, they shot 4/20 on target. And they also incredibly unluckily had the ball hit the woodwork X2 in the 2nd half. 89% Of their passes were very strongly completed, something that was good for 485/546. Their foul totals were quite high as well. They gave up 17 during the match, + 2 yellows.
Brisbane might’ve overtaken them in 1st place, but it lasted roughly only a day. As with the Mariners 3-2 victory over W.U in Gosford, they reclaimed it, posting their 5th win of the season from just 7 games. Simon opened the scoring for the Central Coast in the 17th min of the match. And then late on in the 77th and 81st mins came two absolute belting Kuol headers to help his side steal the victory away from the opposition. The kids just a gun! With 54% possession of the ball, they shot 6/15 on target. They also had a shot hit the woodwork. And 84% of their passes were very well completed as well. Something that’s good for 396/471. While they gave up quite a significant 15 fouls and 2 yellows during the clash.
Past history- The Nix have beaten the Mariners in 9 of the two sides last 12 contested clashes against one another. Last time out at Bluetongue Stadium, it was a 2-1 win to Wellington. Davila opened the scoring in the 15th min. And around the HT mark Kuol evened things up (41st min). Then in the 88th min, Sotirio with a right footed shot, after a good pass from Rufer, got it into the back of the net to deliver his side the most unexpected of wins.
Key player- Kuol! Kuol! Kuol! The 19-year-old kid already has 5 goals this season. He also has a goal assist as well to his name. He’s in form and will no doubt be ready to pounce against a Wellington side that are struggling massively at the moment. Also let’s not forget that he already scored against them earlier in the campaign as well.
Betting tips- Pick the Phoenix to win at $2.20 (Sportsbet)
Also pick both teams to score at $1.61 (Bet365)
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Brisbane Roar v Newcastle Jets6:10 PM AEDT, Dolphin Stadium |
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Last match- Life is simply superb if you’re a Roar player or supporter at the moment. They’re in 2nd place with an amazing record of 4 wins and 1 loss to start the season off with. Their latest dub came when they thrashed the Victory 5 goals to 2 at Dolphin Stadium. They may have leaked strikes in the 19th and 50th mins of the match, but ultimately that didn’t really matter. Why didn’t it really matter? That’s because Mc Donald X2 (14th and 35th mins), Danzaki X2 (17th and 49th mins) and Wenzel-Halls (9th min) all got in on the fun! With 51% possession of the ball, the Roar shot a quite BIG 8/25 shots on target. They also completed a great 81% of their passes, good for 419/397. And they gave up 14 fouls and 2 yellows during the clash.
For the Jets, they’ve picked up the slack a bit lately. After losing their first 4 games of the season, they’ve now won 2 and drawn 1 of their last 3 games to be a point outside of the Top 6. Their latest clash was a tense one up in Newcastle, where they beat City 1-0. Yuel scored his 4th goal of the season in the 40th min to secure the 3 points. With the possession split evenly at 50% each, Newcastle shot 4/16 on target, with a shot also coming of the woodwork. Their passing though was pretty terrible, as they completed theirs at just a 70% rate, good for only 281/403. Outside of that, they gave up 10 fouls and one yellow throughout the clash.
Past history- Newcastle have won 5 of the previous 9 games played between themselves and the Roar. However, the Roar have won the last two. Those score-lines being 2-1 and 2-1 respectively. In Newcastle, it was Danzaki in just the 6th min and Wenzel-Halls in the 61st min who gave Brisbane the tight away dub. Newy’s strike came courtesy of Yuel in the 38th min of the clash. BRI went just 2/4 on target. In comparison, the Jets were at 6/22, along with a shot hitting the woodwork.
Key player- Scott McDonald. The former Celtic man wound back the clock against the Victory with some vintage form on display at Dolphin Stadium during the last matchweek. And one of his two goals was a stunning free-kick effort. He’s still got it. Let’s see what he can produce against Newcastle?
Betting tips- Pick both teams to score at $1.66 (BlueBet)
Also H2 to be the highest scoring one at $2.00 (Bet365)
Tuesday, February 16
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Melbourne City v Sydney FC7:05 PM AEDT, AAMI Park |
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The leadup- City are in 9th and Sydney are in 3rd. Melbourne had a good start to the season and are now doing poorly. Whereas for the Sky Blues, it’s pretty much the complete opposite. City have now been handed 3 straight defeats, the latest of those being a 1-0 result against the lowly Jets. As for Steve Corica’s men, their past 2 clashes have been a 2-1 home win vs Wellington and a 3-0 away win against the Bulls. City have just 2 wins on the season and Sydney 3 (City have played 6 games and Sydney 5).
The big question for City is how will they turn it around? If they couldn’t beat sides such as the Jets or the Mariners who they had an amazing record against, how will they topple the side who toppled them in last seasons GF?
For the Sky Blues, Barbarouses had scored just 1 goal from their first 4 games of the campaign. Then he banged in two against the Nix last night. Is he finally ready to return to the form that saw him scored 25 goals across 53 games during his latest stint for the Victory? And also, when will Bobo return to the side, given that he was named in the extended squad vs WELL?
Past history- The last match played between these two sides saw Sydney claim a 4th Championship, as they prevailed 1-0 in one of, if not the closest Grand Final ever played. In the 100th min of ET, Grant scored the winner for the Sky Blues! That match saw Sydney go 10/15 on target and City 8/20. Each side completed 73% and 74% of their passes, respectively. Those were good for 413/563 and 419/568 each.
Key player- Patrick Wood. He went oh so close to scoring vs the Nix in what was his first time in the starting side on Monday night. Up front with Kosta, he was a constant threat. And he’s already got 2 strikes on the season. With City in a bad slump, can he inflict even more damage on last seasons quickly reeling Grand Finalist’s?
Betting tips- Pick Sydney to win at odds of $1.40 or more when they become available
Also pick Milos Ninkovic to score anytime at odds of $2.00 or more when they become available
Wednesday, February 17
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Melbourne Victory v Wellington Phoenix7:05 PM AEDT, AAMI Park |
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Last match- In 12th place at the moment, things are pretty damn sour for the Victory! They have just a sole win and a sole draw from 5 games so far to start the season of with. And their GD is -5. How are they gonna turn it around? Their last encounter was a 5-2 thrashing at the hands of Brisbane in Redcliffe. Their goals came via a 19th min Aldred OG and a Brimmer stunner freekick in the 50th min. However, they also leaked goals in the 9th, 14th, 17th, 35th and 49th mins of the match. With 49% possession of the ball, MEL shot 4/10 on target. They also completed 85% of their passes, good for 406/480. And finally, they leaked 14 fouls and 4 yellows during the game.
For the Phoenix they’ve only won 1/5 games so far and are = bottom last with the Victory. So, this match presents them with the perfect chance to really get their season up and running. Davila needs to be up and running. As do both Ball and Hemed. While the defence needs to be more alert. With all due respect to them, both of Barbarouses’s goals could’ve been prevented if they were more on the ball, both literally and figuratively. It’s time for them to stand up and give their loyal supporters back home something to really cheer about.
Past history- Five of the last seven games played between these sides have been draws. You just cannot separate the two of them! However, last time out at Westpac Stadium, it was an easy 3-0 dub to Wellington. Their goals came from Davila in the 3rd min, Hooper in the 21st and Ball in the 55th. The possession was split at 50% each, as they shot 5/10 on target. While for MEL, it was just 1/13 on target! :0.
Key player- This isn’t a cop out, but a rather serious thing, literally anybody! These two sides are much, much better then what their ladder positions suggest they are, so it’s about time they star playing like it as well. Whether it’s Davila or Gestede or Ball or whoever! Somebody needs to step up for their sides and grab the game by the scruff of the neck. Each side got superstars, but will they actually act super???
Betting tips- Pick the Phoenix to win at odds of $2.00 or more when they become available
Also pick them to score first at odds of $1.60 or more when they become available
Best Bets of the Round
Pick Barbarouses to score anytime vs W.U at $2.62 (Bet365)
Also pick Davila to score anytime vs the Mariners at $2.00 (Bet365)
And pick BRI to score first vs NEW at odds of $1.50 or more when they become available