The following are previews with betting tips for Matchweek 23 of the 2020/21 A-League season.
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Thursday, May 27
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Macarthur FC v Central Coast7:05 PM AEST, Campbelltown Stadium |
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The Bulls head into this arguably must-win clash in a do-or-die state at the moment. A victory would at least temporarily boost them all the way to 3rd place, but a defeat could be catastrophic depending on what the likes of the Roar and Glory achieve in their matches, Working greatly in Macarthur’s favor is that they’ve won four and drawn four out of their 11 played games at home this season. Whilst their last game was an away 1-1 draw with Perth and prior to that a commanding 3-1 home victory over the Victory. And in a timely boost coinciding with their run into the finals Derbyshire has scored X3 over those last two games as the worldly Striker aims to help his side win this campaigns Grand Final.
Whilst the Central Coast currently occupy fourth spot on the ladder after their controversial 1-0 loss to City at AAMI Park. In the dying stages of the hotly contested clash they were denied a clear penalty after a lengthy review by VAR. Noone’s effort in the 59th minute was all that separated the two star sides. However outside of the refs the Mariners certainly did themselves no favors as they landed just 1/7 shots on target the entire clash. Whilst they also completed just 78% of their passes and leaked 11 fouls. These are all key areas that they’ll have to fix for their game on the road. And a win would be massive for them as it would take them one crucial step closer to a home final.
Betting tips: Pick the Mariners to win at $2.80 (UniBet)
Also pick them to score last at $2.10 (Bet365)
And pick both teams to score at $1.66 (Bet365)
Friday, May 28
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Western United v Melbourne Victory7:05 PM AEST, AAMI Park |
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A-League Hub and various other sources have recently reported that former Wellington head-coach and current W.U. gaffer Mark Rudan is on the ‘chopping block’ after some recent poor performances from one of the A-Leagues newest franchises. And whilst it may seem harsh given it’s just his second season with the club and the clubs second season overall it’s not exactly all that hard to see as to why this might be the case. They’ve won just 8/23 games this season and sit in 10th on the ladder. That despite them boasting players such as Berisha and Diamanti in the squad. They’ve also lost their last five games in a row being defeated 3-0 by the Nix, 1-0 by the Sky Blues, 3-0 by the Glory, 5-0 by the Wanderers and 2-1 by the Roar. In what is another exciting edition of the Melbourne Derby hopefully they can put some respect back onto their badge, but I wouldn’t count on it.
We all know how the Victory are going this season as they currently occupy 11th and sit just a single point ahead of the Jets (15 vs 14). And to make matters worse they suffered their 17th defeat of the season over the weekend as they lost 1-0 to Adelaide at home. The games only goal in that match came in the 39th minute via Goodwin. Whilst it was also announced over the past week that international Defender Shotton had agreed to depart the club effective immediately. Due to injuries and the clubs current state he was never fully able to show what he was capable of. However he thanked the club and noted that as per the official MV website “I wish I was able to contribute more on the pitch this year”. The former Stoke City man has already headed home back to England. This is just another complex problem for Melbourne to solve.
Betting tips: Pick the Victory to be victorious at $4.33 (BlueBet)
Also pick both teams to get on the score-sheet at $1.57 (Bet365)
Saturday, May 29
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Melbourne City v Newcastle Jets5:05 PM AEST, AAMI Park |
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When they were the Melbourne Heart the loyal and passionate supporters had to put up with a lot of crap, a lot of poor results and were constantly reminded that they were the Victory’s ‘little brother’. However not too long ago an FFA Cup final victory over Sydney, a GF defeat to Sydney and now after their most recent 1-0 victory over the Mariners they claimed their first ever Minor Premiership. And what a deserved victory and trophy it has been/was! Times are changing quickly in Melbourne and both they and the Victory know it. Noone’s strong effort in the 59th minute is was proved to win it for them and boy oh boy weren’t the fans celebrating at the full-time whistle because of it. As per Maclaren’s Instagram, “This club has waited a long time for a trophy!”. He and all the other players know just how much it means as they attempt to now go one step further then last campaign and win a maiden GF.
As for Newcastle they’re struggling to breathe at the moment and their latest game was yet another loss as they went down 2-1 to the Roar at home. Their only goal was via an O’Shea OG in the 61st minute of the match. This was extremely sadly their 15th loss from 23 games played this season as the club has struggled to make a real impact in the competition despite boasting experienced veterans of the game such as O’Donovan up front and Duncan at the back. Having a look through their campaign they’ve suffered some bad losses which have included going down 2-0 to Wellington at home, losing 4-1 to Adelaide at home, losing 2-1 to the Victory at home (the only club that’s been on par with them this season in terms of results), being defeated 2-1 by W.U, in front of less then 1000 spectators and losing 3-1 to City away. They have a lot to build on/need to fix if they want their next season to be a reputable one.
Betting tips: Pick City to win at $1.26 (UniBet)
Also pick them to score first at $1.20 (Bet365)
And pick them to also score last at $1.20 (Bet365)
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Adelaide United v Sydney FC7:10 PM AEST, Coopers Stadium |
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This exciting Saturday night clash sees 3rd placed Adelaide host 2nd placed Sydney in a match that has the potential to be the best of the matchweek. Both sides head into this encounter off the back of 1-0 wins and given each sides hot form it could be anyone’s game. For the Reds it’s impossible to ignore both Goodwin and Mauk who each have seven goals to their name this season. Whilst Bobo has 10 for Sydney. Further adding to the intrigue surrounding these three players is that Goodwin scored his sides only goal in their latest game vs the Victory. Whilst the exact same applies to Bobo vs the Wanderers, while he also had another strike ruled out.
Goodwin also has five assists this year and Mauk is on 24 shot assists. While for Bobo his goals-count has come from just 19 appearances and he also has 21 shot assists. They’ve all been among the game winners for their two teams this season. And particularly with both Goodwin’s and Bobo’s returns to the A-League they’ve brought a spark to the competition which can only be rivaled by a few others. A win would do each side a world of absolute good, however a loss will be damming given it could allow other teams to catch them and or close in on them. There ain’t no better way to spend your Saturday night then by watching this one!
Betting tips: Pick Sydney to prevail at $2.25 (UniBet, Bet365)
And pick the second half to be the highest scoring one at $2.95 (Bet365)
Sunday, May 30
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Wellington Phoenix v Perth Glory1:35 PM AEST, Eden Park |
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On March the 4th 2017 the Nix and the Glory battled it out to a thrilling 3-3 draw. Wellington’s goals that day came via Finkler (10th min), Krishna (25th min) and Barbarouses (47th min). While Perth’s goals were produced through Keogh (34th min), Taggart (67th min) and Castro (81st min). There was also a combined 28 shots taken by both sides with 11 of those going on target. Now skip forward to when they last met and it was the Nix who prevailed 3-1. They shot 7/14 on target and had a shot hit the woodwork. That while Perth went 5/21 on target. Only adding to the intrigue of what this affair should produce is that the Nix’s last two games have been a 3-0 win and a 2-2 draw. While Perth have scored 11 goals over their past five games, one of which was a 5-1 smashing of the Wanderers where Keogh bagged four. We’re no doubt going to see something special right here!
In front of over 20,000 raucous fans last matchweek at Westpac Stadium Wellington killed it as they thrashed W.U. to the tune of a 3-0 score-line to keep their finals hopes alive for another week at least. It was their first home game this season after they’ve been based in Woolongong all campaign long and didn’t the home fans turn up in style??!! Lewis got on the score-sheet first in the 38th minute. Then Piscopo backed him up with the Nix’s second in the 57th minute. And then just six minutes later it was game-set-match as Hemed strongly banged the ball into the back of the net. And for Perth they drew 1-1 with Macarthur at NIB Stadium. They opened the scoring via Castro in the 13th minute in what appeared to be the Glory legends final home game for the club. The former Getafe turned A-League player has achieved a lot with Perth during his time at the club and if he does depart them at the end of the season then it’s safe to say he’ll be sorely missed.
Betting tips: Pick Perth to win at $3.70 (UniBet)
Pick them to also score first at $2.37 (Bet365)
And pick each side to get at least one plus goal each at $1.53 (Bet365)
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Western Sydney v Brisbane Roar4:05 PM AEST, Bankwest Stadium |
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History can be a fun thing to take a look back at and that’s exactly what I’m gonna do right here. On November 25th, 2016, these two sides battled out an A-League finals match for the ages as the Wanderers eventually edged the Roar out 5-4 at Parramatta Stadium. For the visiting side Maclaren scored X2. While Castalen also got on the score-sheet on three occasions. While the winner was put in with a great right footed Vidosic shot in the 102nd minute of extra-time. What a match that truly was! And now instead of playing in the finals, both teams are fighting for the right to play in them. For the Roar they are 6th on 34 points. While Western Sydney are 9th on 31 points. The race to a Top Six berth is getting more and more heated as every game comes and passes. And while there’s no ‘Macca’ this time for Brisbane there is Wenzel-Halls, perhaps a younger version of him? And Duke’s doing his thing for the Wanderers as well. Similar to that game all those years ago this should also be a pretty magical night.
Western Sydney’s latest game came as they went down 1-0 to Sydney in the latest edition of the Sydney Derby at the SCG. Meanwhile Brisbane beat the Jets 2-1 in Newcastle. The Wanderers throughout their clash rightfully had a goal disallowed by VAR as did the Sky Blues. Meanwhile for the Roar they produced their strikes through Danzaki first in the 34th minute and then through O’Shea in the 73rd minute. Funnily enough 12 minutes prior to his goal, O’Shea came up with an own goal to get Newcastle on the board. The Wanderers shot 3/7 on target in their game and Brisbane 5/17 on target in theirs. Both sides know how much is on the line headed into this one.
Betting tips: Pick the Wanderers to be victorious at $2.55 (UniBet)
Also pick Duke to score anytime at $2.25 (UniBet)
Monday, May 31
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Western United v Macarthur FC7:05 PM AEST, AAMI Park |
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One team is playing for pride while the other is playing by the skin of their teeth for a finals spot in their maiden A-League season. Who cares that it’s a Monday night because this is one cracking clash!
Here are a few things to look out for during this affair;
-W.U. have won six, plus drawn three of their 11 total ‘home’ games played this season. They are a force to be reckoned with in their own territory and have also scored 16 goals and leaked just nine within those 11 matches.
-The Bulls have won six and drawn two of their 12 road games this campaign. So if any side were to challenge the Green & Black on their home turf this season then no doubt Ante Milicic’s men will be up for the challenge.
-Derbyshire is Macarthur’s top goal-scorer this season with 14 banging strikes to his name. However their second highest goal-scorer is Spaniard Susaeta with just three goals. Despite W.U.’s struggles this season they have several players capable of creating goals at any given moment throughout a match. Derbyshire will strongly desire Susaeta and others to step up during this clash to help him out otherwise the Bulls could be in a spot of bother here.
-With Durante recently announcing his retirement from the league and with the tributes pouring in online to the famous A-League veteran and to somebody who’s helped shape the game into what it is today there’ll no doubt be a commanding desire from both Western United’s players and coaching staff to send the former Sydney Olympic and Sydney United man out a winner in their remaining games (including this one). He deserves it and has helped shape W.U. strongly in their formative years. He’ll be missed and deserves it all over the remaining games of their campaign.
Betting tips: Pick W.U. to win at odds of $1.79 and to score first at odds of $1.49 or more when they each become available.
Tuesday, June 1
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Central Coast v Newcastle Jets7:05 PM AEST, Central Coast Stadium |
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One team is eyeing of a Top Two spot while the other is in a dogfight to avoid finishing last (you know who’s who). However despite all of that these two teams always seem to go at each others throats when playing and it’s always a closely contested match-up.
-When they last met all that separated the two sides was a 54th minute ‘Wizard of Woy Woy’ Simon strike as the Central Coast were victorious 1-0.
-Prior to that it was also a 1-0 Central Coast victory with wiz sensation Kuol finding the back of the net in the 43rd minute. The Mariners shot 4/18 on target that game and the Jets 5/13. Both sides also each had a shot rocket off the woodwork.
-Before that they had a run of two draws in three games. With those scores being 0-0 and 1-1. Sandwiched in-between the two of them was a tight 4-3 victory to Newcastle. They found the back of the net in the 15th, 25th, 52nd and 55th minutes of that affair. Whilst Harold’s 86th minute strike for the Mariners made the final stages of the F3 Derby extremely interesting. Mixed in there as well was also a 3-2 victory to the Mariners.
-And finally before those matches it was 1-0 to the Jets and 2-1 to the Jets. Sheppard scored the only goal of the 1-0 match whilst it was Vargas who produced the late winner in the 2-1 affair. This all just further illustrates how close these two sides always are and this Tuesday evening affair should be absolutely no different to that of its predecessors.
Betting tips: Pick the Mariners to win at odds of $1.59, score first at odds of $1.39 and for the second half to be the highest scoring one at odds of $2.09 or more when they each become available.
Wednesday, June 2
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Brisbane Roar v Perth Glory7:05 PM AEST, Dolphin Stadium |
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Perth love playing Brisbane as they’ve won four of their last six contested clashes against them. The other two games have been draws. Not too mention the last time they failed to score against them was in late 2015! And looking a bit more into it those victorious scorelines have been 3-1, 4-0, 4-2 and 2-1. Whilst funnily enough the two matches played prior to that have both been 3-2 victories to the Roar. These two teams love a goal-fest when faced off against one another and hopefully we’ll get to witness that at Dolphin Stadium during this should be frantic affair.
To Brisbane’s credit they have been quite formidable at their new home ground this season losing just two of 10 games played there, whilst they’ve also conceded only nine goals. Perth on the other hand have lost six of 10 road matches this season and might struggle to get past the well-oiled machine that is currently the Roar. Whilst they’ve also leaked 21 goals away from NIB Stadium this season as well. Part of that was when they lost 5-4 to Western United earlier on in the season. Their games are extremely fun to watch but can sometimes involve little to no defence.
The Glory have also won four of their last five games with the other being a draw. While for Brisbane they’ve gotten all three points from six of their last nine competitive hit outs. And it was only last month where they comprehensively smashed the Mariners 4-0 at Bluetongue Stadium. With finals Football on the line for both sides right here hopefully we see the best of these two teams. Because as we all know the best of these two teams is absolutely capable of beating anyone on their day, including one another.
Betting tips: Pick the Glory to score last and for each team to score at least X1 goal at odds of $1.59 or more when they each become available.
Best Bets of the Round
Pick Troisi to score for the Wanderers anytime vs the Roar at $4.00 (Bet365)
Pick Le Fondre to score anytime for Sydney vs Adelaide at $1.72 (Bet365)
And pick Derbyshire to score anytime for Macarthur vs the Mariners at $2.10 (Bet365)