The following are previews with betting tips for Matchweek 12 of the 2020/21 A-League season.
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Friday, March 12
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Melbourne City v Macarthur FC7:05 PM AEDT, AAMI Park |
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Words cannot possibly describe the massacre that City committed at Marvel Stadium this past Saturday night. They beat the Victory to death 6-0! Six goals to nothing! They showed that the Victory are no longer the NO.1 team in Melbourne and that they are a long afterthought now when it comes to Sports in Victoria. Maclaren hit the woodwork with his penalty attempt in the 18th min, but he made up for it by scoring in the 34th min. Berenguer then scored in the 52nd min, Griffiths just 4 mins later, then Metcalfe scored twice in 3 mins 74-77th mins and Colakovski rounded things off with a fine strike 3 mins into stoppage time. With 52% possession of the ball, City shot a very impressive 11/22 on target. And they are now 5th on the table and just 2 points off 2nd place.
For the Bulls, they went down 2-0 to the Mariners on the Central Coast during their latest clash in what was the battle of 1st vs 2nd on the ladder. It’s a defeat that leaves them still in 2nd place. Not at all a bad start for the new franchise. And the fact that they’re doing better then heavyweights such as the Sky Blues, Wanderers and City is very, very impressive. They conceded goals in the 9th and 81st mins, as they shot just 2/12 on target with a massive 65% possession of the ball throughout the match. They did however to their credit complete a strong 88% of their passes, something that was good for 549/624.
City started their 3-game win streak with a 3-2 victory over the back-to-back Champions Sydney FC at home. They then traveled to Parramatta where they beat the Wanderers 2-0. Then of course they thoroughly humiliated the Victory 6-0. They’ve just gotten better and better and better it seems. So how do they top the Derby Day victory here? Well they won’t be winning 6-0 again, but with the ferocious form they’re in at the moment, it’s fairly difficult to envision them not beating the Bulls by at least 2+ goals. With Maclaren leading the charge, expect them to pick up an easy home dub here.
Betting tips: Pick City to win at $1.87 (Unibet)
Also pick Maclaren to score anytime at $1.66 (Bet365)
Saturday, March 13
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Sydney FC v Newcastle Jets5:05 PM AEDT, Netstrata Jubilee Stadium |
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For Sydney FC things aren’t quite in dire straights just yet, although their not that far away from it either. This comes after their somewhat disappointing 1-all draw with Brisbane in Redcliffe last matchweek. Conceding the worst possible goal to Wenzel-Halls in the 18th min, Sydney were made to work hard for their equalizer, one which eventually came via Bobo in the 71st min. But linking back to the Roar’s goal, Redmayne appeared to have caught the fairly tame shot, but it somehow bobbled through his hands and into the back of the net in what was an embarrassing mistake from the Australian international. Their (Sydney’s) shooting wasn’t bad though, as they went 9/16 on the match. They are currently in 8th on 12 points. They have a lot of fighting and a lot of scrapping to do to get back to where they want to be.
For Newcastle their rich run of form is officially over as they suffered yet another loss. This time it was at Hindmarsh to Adelaide, 2-1. And it has left them in 2nd last place on the ladder, ahead of only the mightily struggling Victory. With just 3 wins from 11 games they need to pick up their form ASAP if they are to be any hope of playing Finals Football this season. The Jets only goal came via O’Toole in the 22nd min. Whilst they leaked the opener just 6 mins in and let Goodwin score the winner in the 77th min after what was a poor defensive turnover from the away side. Not helping Newy at all in this one was the fact that they only owned 41% of the ball and that they went just 1/11 on target. But in a bit of bad luck they also did have 2 shots come of the woodwork.
Both these teams are in dire need of a win. 14 of the past 16 games between these two sides has seen one side take all 3 points from it, so it’s fairly difficult to envision a draw in this encounter. Kogarah is Sydney’s home, yet they’ve produced just 3 goals their all campaign long. And given the Jets recent woes, you’d expect Corcia’s men to pick up their heads and work hard for the win here. After all they need it badly and so much is expected of this organisation and they need to start satisfying their passionate fans sooner rather than later. Especially so with Brattan now back in the fold again, a hard Sydney win should be the go here.
Betting tips: Pick Sydney to win at $2.06 (Unibet)
Also pick Bobo to score anytime at $1.95 (Bet365)
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Melbourne Victory v Adelaide United7:10 PM AEDT, Marvel Stadium |
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Outside the Victory’s training ground yesterday, some of the Melbourne active supporters held up a massive banner saying THE LINE HAS BEEN CROSSED. It was in white writing, on a black background and it could clearly be seen. They lit off some orange flares behind it to create an intimidating backdrop and the players could see it as they trained. Things are very, very bad at the Victory to say the least. And this all comes about as a result of their absolutely shocking 6-0 Derby defeat to City during the last matchweek at Marvel Stadium. They leaked goals in the 34th, 52nd, 56th, 74th, 77th and 93rd minutes of the clash. It’s left them in last place and still 4 points behind the next worst team, the Jets. Brebner’s job is under increasing pressure, whilst a lot of players are being deservedly called out as well, as are some club officials. On a Saturday night, at home, in what is the A-League’s original rivalry, if the Victory don’t somehow get 3 points here, then I’d be saying bye bye to Grant and some serious other changes will be made as well I’m guessing.
The Reds are in hot form at the moment, they are now in 4th place on the ladder on 16 points. And they’re just a point off 2nd as well. Things are looking up for Veart’s men at the moment. Their latest clash at Hindmarsh saw them prevail 2-1 over a pesky Jets side. They opened the scoring in just the 6th min via D’Arrigo and then in the 77th min they had the commanding winner via non other then Goodwin. They had 2 shots hit the woodwork, as they also shot a decent 4/13 on target. They owned 59% possession of the ball and won 60 duels to Newcastle’s 47. They also won 22 aerial duels to their 21.
What do the Victory do to beat Adelaide? That is one of the many intriguing and somewhat belittling questions surrounding this match-up for Melbourne’s once storied but now damaged franchise. When you analyse some of their stats against City, it becomes pretty obvious what they need to fix. They shot 0/7. With talent such as Gestede, Kruse and Brimmer, how does that happen? They also need to defend 1000X better as City scored some relatively easy goals. Brebner also needs to change it up. Gestede is not Ola Toivonen, he doesn’t have the capacity to turn it on whenever he want’s. Switch up the defence and give a different Goalkeeper a go as well. Lawrence Thomas ain’t in goals anymore. If they do some of this, maybe they’ll get something from this one, but I doubt it though. This is advice more so then anything else.
Betting tips: Pick Adelaide to win at $2.75 (Unibet)
Also pick them to score first at $2.00 (Bet365)
Sunday, March 14
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Central Coast v Perth Glory4:05 PM AEDT, Central Coast Stadium |
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The Mariners have now won 8/11 this season and are sitting very, very comfortably in 1st place on 24 points. They are 7 ahead of Macarthur and 8 ahead of the next placed Wanderers whom have both played the same number of games that they the Central Coast have. Their latest win was an easy 2-0 over the Bulls at Bluetongue Stadium. Simon opened the scoring for the home side in just the 9th min, that was before with his first A-League touch of the ball, Hach scored in the 81st min much to his and the crowds delight. Funnily enough it was around 2 years ago that they got walloped 8-2 by the Nix at the same venue. Ah how time changes. Since then they’ve become a defensively sturdy unit that are no longer pushovers. They play hard and defend better then literally any team in the comp. Fair play to the Mariners for their rise, it’s been a long time coming, but both they and their fans thoroughly deserve it.
For Perth their season has been a bit indifferent to date. They sit in 7th spot on the ladder and through 8 games played, they’ve won 4 and lost 4 with a GD of +1. Their latest match was played at the Woolongong Showground as part of a historic NPL/A-league double-header for the area, where they got thoroughly beaten 3-0 by the Nix. They leaked goals in the 30th, 35th and 59th mins of the match in what was a poor effort from the Glory. They had 62% of the ball, they shot 9/21 on target and they completed 88% of their passes, 561/634, yet they still couldn’t take anything from the match. Castro has just 1 assist this campaign and Keogh has 0 goals. Fornaroli and Kilkenny are doing their part, but the other two need to step up to the plate and deliver more to help Perth’s season.
Matt Simon’s winding back the clock with 5 goals and 2 assists this season. Kuol has 6 goals and 2 assists. Urena has 1 goal and 2 assists. De Silva has 3 goals and 3 assists. Everybody’s chipping in at the Mariners in what is an incredibly well-composed and well-functioning side. And they’ve just torn the rest of the A-League to shreds this season, there’s no denying that. They beat the Glory the last time they played and that’s something they are rarely able to do, just another sign of how strong they are this season. Expect them to back up that 3-point performance with another one, via a commanding team effort.
Betting tips: Pick the Mariners to win at $2.25 (BlueBet, Unibet)
Also pick them to score first at $1.72 (Bet365)
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Western United v Brisbane Roar6:10 PM AEDT, AAMI Park |
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W.U’S latest game was a close 1-0 loss to Western Sydney at Mars Stadium. They fought hard, but couldn’t quite take home the goods, as former EPL player Mutch scored the games only goal in the 57th min. This has left them in 9th spot on the ladder, with just 11 points to their name. And they’v won only 3/8 so far to start the campaign off with. Suffice to say Rudan would not be satisfied with this one bit and would be expecting a lot more from his men. And I suspect that both Diamanti and Berisha would both be pushing hard for the exact same thing as well. During the defeat, they had 54% possession of the ball and shot 6/23 on target. As well as that they also completed 85% of their passes, something that was good for 417/490. Safe to say a result is badly needed against the Roar otherwise they’ll fall even further behind in the pack.
For the Roar, they’ve fallen from the Top 3 all the way to 6th. And from 11th through to 7th, they are all 4 points or less from catching up to them. So they also badly need a win here in order to keep their finals spot. Their latest match was a hard-earned point courtesy of a 1-1 draw with Sydney at Dolphin Stadium. Wenzel-Halls made a mockery of Redmayne in the 18th minute as a should’ve been easily saved shot by the Goalie instead went through his gloves and into the back of the net. Bobo then equalized for the away side in the 71st min. Brisbane owned 50% of the ball and shot 4/13 on target. They also completed 83% of their passes, which was good for 390/467.
6th vs 9th. Brisbane who are 6th have 4 wins. And Western United have 3. It’s gonna be close, it’s gonna be entertaining and it’s gonna be a fun one. Up front you have Wenzel-Halls the youngster who bangs them in for fun coming up against Berisha, the A-League’s best ever in that regard. Then in the middle you also have McDonald up against Diamanti, two veterans of the game who both have plied their trade quite successfully in Europe. Then going all the way back to the goals, you have two of the best Gloves-men in Australia as Kurto faces off against Young. The individual battles in this one are simply sublime and should help to heavily dictate the outcome of the clash.
Betting tips: Pick Western United to win at $2.50 (Bet365)
Also pick Berisha to score anytime vs his former side at $1.90 (Bet365)
Monday, March 15
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Western Sydney v Wellington Phoenix7:05 PM AEDT, Bankwest Stadium |
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The Wanderers currently sit in 3rd spot on the ladder with 16 points. They are also just a single point of 2nd place at the moment in what has been a great season under Robinson to date. Their latest victory came at Mars Stadium as they beat Western United 1-0. The only goal of the game was produced via Mutch in the 57th min. This as he completed a strong right footed shot from outside the box, as he landed it in the bottom right corner. With 46% ownage of the ball, the Red & Black shot an impressive 8/13 on target. They also completed 83% of their passes. Something that was good for 366/443.
For Wellington they’ve been on a bit of a rise lately and that’s shown as they’re now in 10th spot and just 4 points of not only a finals berth, but also 5th. And Perth proved no match for them at the ‘Gong’ during the latest matchweek, as they prevailed with ease 3-0. That game was played as a part of a historic NPL/A-League double-header in the area, as Woolongong Wolves vs Manly United was contested before this clash. Piscopo opened the scoring in the 30th min, then Ball had one 5 mins later. After that it was Waine in the 59th min and the route was complete. And even more impressively, they won with just 38% possession of the ball and shooting only 8 shots throughout, with 6 on target.
Mondays are bad. But boy howdy! This clash actually makes me look forward to a Monday, ahaha. In all seriousness, what a game we have here. It’s the on-fire Wanderers facing off against a quickly rising Nix side. No matter who you support, we’re in for a big one here. Ibini or Davila? Cox or Ball? The opportunities to see fast, talented and quick-scoring players go head-to-head are endless and it’s bound to be an absolute cracker right here. Then on the sidelines you have Robinson up against Talay. Shot A-League for making this evening fun.
Betting tips: Pick both sides to score at $1.61 (Bet365)
Also pick the Nix to score last at $2.37 (Bet365)
Best Bets of the Round
Pick the 2nd half of Western Sydney vs Wellington to be the highest scoring one at $1.95 (Bet365)
Also pick Fornaroli to score anytime vs the Mariners at $2.10 (Bet365)