The following are previews with betting tips for Matchweek 21 of the 2020/21 A-League season.
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Thursday, May 13
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Melbourne City v Adelaide United7:05 PM AEST, AAMI Park |
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This matchup sees City, a side that have won three on the trot and seven out of their last 10, play host to the 3rd-placed Reds. And with a maiden Minor Premiership to play for the crowd will be raucous and raring to go to back their side through to the finish line. And Melbourne themselves should be firing early, similar to how they scored twice within the opening 17 minutes of their 3-2 win against Brisbane last weekend. This clash has the hype, it has the intensity, so let’s see what it offers as it’s the lavish veterans from Melbourne go up against the kids from the “City of Churches”.
City- Everybody will be needed to help defend Adelaide and that includes Maclaren. Defensively this year he’s been very astute winning 4/9 duels, 2/4 aerial duels, while he’s also won 2/3 takeons. Regardless of where he’s placed on the pitch, he never fails to make an impact.
Reds- During Adelaide’s 0-0 draw with Wellington Juric registered two shots in total and scored zero goals. He is counted on as one of Adelaide’s major attackers and a go to guy, if he can’t get it at least somewhat going against City then Adelaide could be in for a long, long night.
Betting tips: Pick City to win at $1.39 (UniBet)
Also pick both teams to score at $1.66 (Bet365)
And pick there to be at least a goal in each halve at $1.36 (UniBet)
Friday, May 14
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Macarthur FC v Melbourne Victory7:05 PM AEST, Campbelltown Stadium |
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At home this season Macarthur have been a fairly damaging prospect, having won three and drawn four out of the ten games that’ve been contested at Campbelltown Stadium. However, facing the Victory will be no easy task as the last time these two teams met, despite losing 2-1, they still opened the scoring in the 23rd minute courtesy of Kamsoba’s willing left-footed shot. Whilst Melbourne also shot 6/21 on target that day, as well as having a shot come off the woodwork. Whilst both sides are guaranteed to turn up here with the Bulls on the same number of points as 2nd placed Sydney, 32. And for Melbourne a victory would help drag them further away from the last-placed Jets whom they are only a point ahead of, 15 vs 14. Situated on a Friday night, there’s no better way to reward yourself after a long, hard week of work then by tuning into this one.
Bulls- During the Bulls latest 2-1 victory against the Victory it was Spanish Froward Susaeta who registered one of their goals with a fine strike. However, this was just his third of the campaign. Some more ruthless intent from the import player could go a long way to helping out Macarthur once again here.
Victory- Similar to that of Susaeta, it’s Kamsoba right here for the Victory. He scored the Victory’s only goal during that one-goal loss, but it was also only his second for the season. Melbourne will be going through a massive clean-out in the off-season so he’s playing for his future right here and another goal during this one will certainly do him no harm in being a part of his sides future plans.
Betting tips: Pick both sides to score at $1.57 (Bet365)
Also pick there to be a goal in each halve at $1.43 (UniBet)
Saturday, May 15
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Western United v Sydney FC2:35 PM AEST, Mars Stadium |
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Sydney come into their clash against Western United away from home in desperate need of a win after their latest outing proved to be a humiliating, yet also controversial 1-1 draw with the Jets in the Hunter Valley. Having only equalised because of a shocking Boogard OG in the 76th minute, that deflected effort somewhat saved the Sky Blues blushes, but also somewhat not. There is now increasing pressure on both Corica and key Striker Barbarouses to start performing in order to save Sydney’s quickly faltering campaign. Whilst for W.U. they are seeking some quick redemption as well off the back of their 5-0 thrashing at the hands of the Wanderers. They leaked goals in the 19th, 36th, 57th, 66th and 90th minutes of the match. No matter which side turns their form and potentially their season around in Victoria, at least one will walk away relatively happy.
W.U.- Perhaps the Green & Blacks grueling schedule was why Diamanti came off the bench as opposed to starting, but it was clear they were missing his creative flair during the most part as they were beaten with ease. The former Serie A player is such a vital part of this team and have if he starts against Sydney, he will once again no doubt have another profound impact on his teammates as well as his side in general.
Sky Blues- Redmayne has been incredibly sloppy for Sydney lately. Dropped balls, poor misses, it’s all been unfortunately coming at him thick and fast. And while he showed some signs of revival against Newcastle, it still has been certainly far from ideal for him. Given W.U.’s recent struggles, they may per say be the perfect way for him to play his way back into form.
Betting tips: Pick Sydney to win at $1.90 (Bet365)
Also pick them to score last at $1.50 (Bet365)
And pick there to be goals in both H1 and H2 at $1.50 (UniBet)
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Newcastle Jets v Central Coast7:10 PM AEST, McDonald Jones Stadium |
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McDonald Jones Stadium this Saturday night plays host to what should be another booming rendition of the F3 Derby. With the Mariners playing for a Top Two finals berth and the Jets finding their feet in the latter part of the season this should be an absolute cracker! When these two teams met in Gosford late last year it was Kuol’s sole goal in the 43rd minute that separated them both in what was an incredibly tight encounter. Then in early 2020 it was the Jets who escaped their own home-ground with a thrilling 4-3 victory. A match that was made tense for the final few minutes with Harold’s 86th minute strike for the Mariners. And then going back to March of 2019 the Mariners came away from Newcastle with a 3-2 victory. A clash which saw the likes of now departed players such as Karacan (64th minute) and Vargas (81st minute) feature on the scoresheet. Ill say it once and Ill say it twice, this is going to be a CRACKER!
Jets- Roy O’Donovan! The Irish Striker has largely been absent for Newcastle this season despite being one of the first players picked each week to start. However, he had a nice moment of reprieve against the reigning Champions as he scored the only goal of the game in the 59th minute with his finely converted spot-kick. Hopefully that gives him all the confidence he needs to head onto bigger and better things starting with this Derby matchup.
Mariners- During the Mariners latest clash it was former Swansea man Birighitti who stood tall on numerous occasions to deny the Victory in the Central Coast’s one-all draw. He made one save from inside the box and two from outside, while on the campaign he’s made 49 saves in total. And he’s also kept five clean sheets. NO.6 could very easily come right here.
Betting tips: Pick the Mariners to be victorious at $2.75 (Bet365)
And pick H2 to be the highest scoring one at $1.95 (Bet365)
Sunday, May 16
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Melbourne City v Wellington Phoenix4:05 PM AEST, AAMI Park |
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Depending on the outcome of some previous matches in the leadup to this one, a victory here could see City clinch their first-ever Minor Premiership at AAMI Park. And what a way it would be to do it in front of their loyal and incredibly deserving home fans. ‘Macca’ lives for BIG occasions such as these ones, so the 22 goals this season Striker is almost certainly going to play a MASSIVE part in City’s attack throughout this encounter. However, with Davila and Waine having combined for 13 booming strikes this campaign, they are going to rival the sort of ferocious pressure that Maclaren should place on them. And with Wellington having a strong need to go all out in-attack due to this being an absolute must win clash for them, this game has the potential to be very, very entertaining. This is a simply magnificent fixture.
City- When these two teams last met young Forward, the 19-year-old Tilio scored the 83rd minute winner as he displayed signs of maturity years above his actual age. That was also uncoincidentally his only goal of the season to date. Regardless of whether he starts or comes off the bench, many including myself will be keen to see the sort of impact that he has on the game.
Phoenix- Ben Waineeeee! He has six goals, and 14 shot assists this season as the NZ attacker has proven to be a crucial piece to the puzzle for Wellington this campaign. He’s just been banging them in for fun lately and again against City I’m sure he’ll having something to say on the eventual outcome of the clash.
Betting tips: Pick City to eventually prevail and win at $1.50 (UniBet)
Also pick them to open the scoring at $1.33 (Bet365)
And pick both teams to feature on the scoresheet at $1.57 (UniBet)
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Adelaide United v Brisbane Roar6:10 PM AEST, Coopers Stadium |
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In early 2019 at Hindmarsh Stadium Adelaide hosted Brisbane in what was a game for the ages. Scoring for the visitors were Henrique (19th minute), Wenzel-Halls (38th minute) and Taggart (43rd minute). While the home team had all of Isaias, Goodwin and Blackwood get on the scoresheet. Then in the 97th minute with one of the few remaining plays of the game and after a perfect Armiento cross, Mileusnic thundered the ball into the back of the net with his head to electrically win the game for the Reds in what was an extremely memorable Adelaide victory. And adding a very physical element to this game was the fact that there were three red cards! Ilso was sent off first for the Reds in the 9th minute, then Ingham for Brisbane in the 59th minute. And then it was Brisbane again just five minutes later with Young being given his marching orders. If this game resembles anything even close to that past clash, then we are in for an absolute treat right here.
Reds- The veteran Goodwin will be key for Adelaide as they attempt to navigate their way through Brisbane’s stingy defence. Whether it be his magnificent through balls or his runs opening up the opposition, he’ll be crucial in the middle of the field attempting to feed the ball through to his teammates somehow or someway.
Roar- Only two games ago for Brisbane it was Danzaki who ecstatically scored the 94th minute winner for his side against Western United. The Japanese-born Midfielder has seven on the season for Brisbane and has fitted into the club and its culture extremely well. And he’ll be looking to tear apart the Reds during this one as he has done to so many other opposition sides throughout the season to date.
Betting tips: Pick Brisbane to win at $3.00 (UniBet, Bet365, BlueBet)
Also pick them to open the scoring at $2.10 (Bet365)
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Perth Glory v Western Sydney8:15 PM AEST, HBF Park |
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Both the Glory and the Wanderers head into this game on the back of commanding victories. For Perth they beat 11th-placed Melbourne 2-1 at NIB Stadium. While for Western Sydney they thrashed W.U. and put them to the sword 5-0 at Bankwest Stadium. Perth needs nothing but a win to keep their faint finals hopes alive at NIB. While for the Red & Black a win would help them further escape the clutches of sides such as the Roar, W.U. and the Nix. In the Wanderers win it was Troisi who opened the scoring in the 19th minute with an absolute thunderbolt of an effort that harshly beat defending opposition GK Scott to smash into the back of the net. And with four goals + seven assists on the season he could easily make or break WSW’s hopes of winning this one.
Glory- Their last win against the Wanderers came in mid-2020 as they prevailed 3-1 in Parramatta. Their goals that day came via Franjic (60th minute), Kilkenny (78th minute) and Meredith (86th minute). That was a truly damaging victory.
Wanderers- While for Western Sydney theirs was earlier this year, also in Parramatta as they prevailed 3-0 against the Glory. They shot a respectable 6/14 on target as their goals came via Duke twice at the end of H1 and at the start of H2, as well as through Troisi in the 50th minute.
Betting tips: Pick the Wanderers to win at $3.00 (Bet365)
Also pick them to score first at $2.10 (Bet365)
And pick both sides to score at $1.50 (Bet365)
Wednesday, May 19
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Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory7:05 PM AEST, Netstrata Jubilee Stadium |
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On a Wednesday night in Kogarah, it’s Sydney facing Melbourne in another edition of the Big Blue Derby. When these two sides last met all that separated them was Bobo’s 6th minute goal in what was an incredibly closely contested 1-0 Sydney win. And given Sydney have scored one goal or less in six of their past 10 games there is the strong potential for us to see a similar score-line here. And the Victory’s recent form only goes ahead and adds to that low-scoring potential. They’ve put up one or less strikes over their past four encounters. However, they have shown some serious signs of revival post that result against Sydney, including an encouraging 1-1 draw vs the Mariners. An upset may very well be on the cards here. And similar to how Sydney ended the Victory’s season with a 6-1 Semi Final win not too long ago, a similarly damaging result could happen right here … but to the opposite team. Look out because Melbourne is on the prowl!
Sky Blues- Sydney’s previously mentioned 1-0 win saw them have 63% possession of the ball and shoot 10/18 on target. They also completed a very commanding 88% of their passes, something that was good for 586/666. And in order to keep their Top Two hopes alive they need a similarly strong performance right here.
Victory- The Victory’s latest game against Sydney came on January 26, 2019, at AAMI Park as they prevailed 2-1. Their goals were produced via some fine strikes by Toivonen in the 20th minute and Troisi in the 58th minute. They also owned 53% of the ball, as they shot 4/9 on target.
Betting tips: Pick Sydney to win at odds of $1.49 and to score first at odds of $1.19 or more for both markets when they become available.
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Perth Glory v Adelaide United9:20 PM AEST, HBF Park |
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When the Reds and the Glory last went head-to-head Perth eventually came away from Hindmarsh Stadium with what was a hard-fought two goals to one victory. Mauk scored 20 minutes in to open the scoring much to the delight of the home side. But it was Perth who proved too powerful and too strong in the 2nd half as they deservedly so came away with all three points. First it was Fornaroli who scored in the 73rd minute, then 10 minutes later it was Stynes who scored the late winner to give the small, yet powerful travelling contingent of away fans something to really get up on their feet and cheer about. Prior to that in Perth it was a 5-3 Glory victory. Of the eight strikes that were produced that day seven of them came through different players in what was an extremely thrilling encounter. Some more of all of that right here would be amazing please!
Glory- Around mid-2020 saw Perth and Adelaide fight out a finals game for the ages at NIB Stadium as the Glory eventually prevailed 5-4 on penalties, in what was a 3-3 draw at the conclusion of ET. Perth’s goals came through Castro X2 in the 29th and 74th minutes. While Neville bagged an absolutely critical strike in the 104th minute. Some more magic right here would definitely not be under appreciated.
Reds- As for Adelaide in that clash they turned it on late as their goals were produced via Diawara in the 81st minute, Kitto 13 minutes later and then through the hero Marrone in the 115th minute, that with the game well into ET. They shot 6/17 on target in that one. If history somehow showers us with another excellent clash, we would all be truly lucky.
Betting tips: Pick Perth to win at odds of $1.99, score first at odds of $2.09 and for both teams to score at odds of $1.99 or more for all three markets when they become available.
Best Bets of the Round
Pick Melbourne Victory to score last vs Macarthur at $2.75 (Bet365)
Also pick both Adelaide and Brisbane to score during their encounter at $1.54 (UniBet)