The following are previews with betting tips for Matchweek 3 of the 2021/22 A-League Men season.
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Friday, December 3
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Wellington Phoenix v Western Sydney Wanderers7:45 PM AEDT, WIN Stadium |
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Can the ‘Nix’ extend their 13-game unbeaten record, or will the winless Wanderers break their duck for the campaign?
Wellington kept their rich vein of form going with a commanding 2-1 victory over the Mariners last round in Woolongong, while Western Sydney were on the end of a surprise 2-2 draw at the hands of the Jets in Parramatta.
One common trait between both sides however is that their attacking was free-flowing and as entertaining as could possibly be. They struck 7/15 and 6/31 on target respectively. That whilst each clubs goal-scorers were Gary Hooper (48th min), Jaushua Sotirio (63rd min) and Bernie Ibini (42nd min), Tomer Hemed (49th min). And when accounting for their history against one another, with a combined 14 balls bulging the back of the net over their past three match-ups, this is a simply perfect clash to start RD3 of the A-League Men off with.
It’s a battle between the two class attackers in the form of 2X SPL winner with Celtic, Garry Hooper and the player who scored 33X for Brighton & Hove Albion, Tomor Hemed. ‘Hoops’ has scored twice this campaign, while Hemed bagged a goal vs NEW and has 2 shot assists to his name. Outside of these two men, their respective sides don’t really possess any consistent week-in, week-out Forwards or Midfielders who are capable of reaching their heights (Hooper’s and Hemed’s). In this key match-up only one can prevail!
Betting tips: Pick both sides to score at $1.50 (BlueBet, Bet365)
However, of the two sides you can back Western Sydney to strike first at $2.25 (Bet365)
Saturday, December 4
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Brisbane Roar v Adelaide United5:05 PM AEDT, Moreton Daily Stadium |
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Will playing at home provide Brisbane with the necessary advantage needed for all three-points, or can Adelaide back up their shock draw against City with another stellar result?
Last week we saw the Roar hammered 3-0 at AAMI Park, as they were torn to shreds by the Victory. However, for their counterparts in the form of the ‘Reds’, they were all dice and then slice, as they came back from a 2-0 deficit to claim a dramatic 2-2 stalemate within the space of 12 minutes against City.
Brisbane conceded an OG in the 27th minute, as well as regular strikes on the 31-minute mark + 50th minute, that despite them owning 52% possession of the ball, as well as having completed 81% of their passes, (422/523). Similarly Adelaide’s result was unexpected as they ceded goals to Jamie Maclaren, then a worldly to Andrew Nabbout. Yet it was Stefan Mauk 78-in, then Ben Halloran 90-on with a fierce right-footed attempt who helped seal the amazing comeback result. While with both teams still having some unknown auras about them, this is sure to be a well-worthwhile watching clash.
In seven of Brisbane’s last 10 domestic games they’ve scored just one goal, or have been shut out completely. As if that weren’t bad enough, last round against the Victory they saw six of their shots be blocked. While the week before vs City it was only two, yet they shot six off-target in what was a subpar display from Warren Moon’s men. That simply won’t cut the mustard against the ‘Reds’ given some of the experience they have in their defensive back-line, including the likes of Michael Jakobsen and Javi Lopez. This means that the likes of Nikola Mileusnic (just under 100 games of A-League Men experience) and Jay O’Shea (20 strikes for Bury over three years) will have to step up big time, otherwise they won’t get much out of this clash.
Betting tips: Look for both sides to make the back of the net bulge at $1.61 (Bet365)
However, ultimately pick the ‘Reds’ to prevail at $3.10 (Bet365)
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Melbourne City v Western United7:45 PM AEDT, AAMI Park |
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Who will triumph in this Melbourne Derby, Australia’s best and finest, or the ones possessing 17X capped Italian international and A-League Men superstar Allesandro Diamanti?
During Round 2 City were left like stunned mullets as they leaked two goals late to draw 2-2 against Adelaide in Adelaide, that while Western United in Victoria, came away with a tight and controversial 1-0 win over the Daniel Sturridge-less Glory.
Jamie ‘Macca’ Maclaren opened the scoring in the 28th minute for the visitors, while Andrew Nabbout’s simply astonishing curling strike made it 2 and 0 in the 61st minute. However there was many more twists and turns to come as the ‘Reds’ made the back of the net bulge in the 78th and 90th minutes to ensure the home crowd had utter feelings of joy and passion. The ‘Green & Black’ were also involved in an extremely tight affair as they saw Dylan Weznel-Halls’s goal stand, despite the preceding pass in the buildup appearing to go out, albeit there was no call from the officials and that is how their testy affair was decided. Combined with bragging rights being on the line, it is sure to be a dogged yet appealing game.
When these two clubs last fought at AAMI Park, it was Lachlan Wales strike in the 61st minute, as well as Besart Berisha’s just five minutes later that sealed the one-goal victory. While prior to that Maclaren conjured up an incredible 84th minute sealer, as his right-footed strike scurried into the bottom-left corner of the goal, in a 2-1 City win. The match before saw the game in the balance right until the 84th minute, where an unfortunate and unlucky Tomok Imai OG delivered City a 2-0 shutout. Whilst even jumping into a time machine, all the way back to 2019 at GMHBA Stadium, the first ever conquest between the two sides, saw ‘Macca’ fashion an amazing 85th minute winner. Looking at that past history, if you choose to watch only one game of A-League Men action this weekend, then this should undoubtedly 1000% BE IT!
Betting tips: Back City to triumph at $1.45 (Bet365)
And also for H1 to produce over 0.50 goals at $1.28 (Bet365)
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Sydney FC v Newcastle Jets7:45 PM AEDT, Jubilee Stadium |
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Can Arthur Papas help deliver a fatal blow to Steve Corica’s coaching career, or is there some will left in ‘Bimbi’ yet?
Sydney FC are now winless in their last three A-League Men encounters, whilst they’ve also produced just three strikes during that same span. The visitors in comparison have won two of their last six games, with another two being draws. The Jets are on the up, while the ‘Sky Blues’ are on the down.
Having seen the likes of Alex Baumjohann and Ryan McGowan depart over the off-season, the Sydney hierarchy decided to get stingy with it and bring in low-cost replacements. So in came the likes of Elvis Kamsoba and Liam McGing, that along with Luke Brattan being out for the season + Bobo and Kosta Barbarouses having little niggling injuries, have left last years runner-ups looking incredibly worse for wear. Their 1-0 defeat to Macarthur in Kogarah a regrettably defiant sign of that. For Newcastle, they produced goals via Beka Mikeltadze and Olivier Boumal in their spirited and splendid 2-2 draw vs the Wanderers at CommBank Stadium. With all things being considered a monumental upset could be on the cards here.
With a lot of the Sydney ‘faithful’ having booed the team off the field after the FT siren sounded against Macarthur, loyal and talented, yet under-performing players such as Adam Le Fondre, Milos Ninkovic, Ryan Grant and Andrew Redmayne could possibly be forgiven for already wanting to pack this one in. However, that sort of dogged, downright bad mentality could never be theirs and as such I expect them to put in a strong performance against the ‘Novocastrians’, even if the end result isn’t what they wanted and/or anticipated. The Jets will know how to ruffle Sydney’s feathers a bit and it wasn’t all that long ago that they were besting them at Jubilee Stadium. A very, very close and perhaps unexpected match-up is well on the cards for this clash.
Betting tips: Look for the ‘Sky Blues’ to finally get their first win of their so far stuttering season at $1.70 (Bet365)
While you can also look for them to keep a clean sheet at $2.62 (Bet365)
Sunday, December 5
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Macarthur FC v Central Coast Mariners4:05 PM AEDT, Sportingbet Stadium |
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Can Macarthur continue to exceed expectations away from home, or will the Central Coast bounce back from their frustrating defeat the round prior to Wellington?
They copped multiple beatings online about the atrocious state of their stadium, while Mark Milligan appeared on the ‘Sky Blues’ social media feeds discussing what it would take to beat his former side. However, much can change in a week of Football as they say, and contesting a close match at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium they (the ‘Bulls’) edged out Sydney 1 goal to nil, with Lachlan Rose scoring what proved to be the 17th minute winner and his second in as many games. And to top it all off the club today announced the signing of former EPL Defender Adrian Mariappa. He was quoted as saying, “When the opportunity to join the ‘Bulls’ arrived, it was one I couldn’t turn down.” A simply glowing endorsement!
As for the Mariners they were unable to get anything out of their testing 2-1 defeat to the ‘Nix’ in the ‘Gong’. Marco Urena was responsible for their sole goal on the day as the Costa Rican star banged in a right-footed stunner from outside the box. However it wasn’t all negative, as they still owned 59% possession of the ball, shot 6/16 on target and completed a strong 89% of their passes, good for 518/607. It’s impossible to tell what these two sides will conjour up, but it’s gonna be good.
Are the ‘Bulls’ legit is the question everyone is asking. Well, to at least in part answer that question, their loyal supporters certainly seem to think so. After their tight and tense win vs Sydney some of their fans comments on social media were as follows, “Yesss!!”, “#lachieforthewin”, and “Well done MacArthur FC”, all very encouraging replies. Whilst a lot of betting agencies have moved up their odds slightly with regards to potentially winning the A-League Men Championship. Facing off against a side who they eliminated from last season’s Finals Series, but whom also finished 3rd, is nothing but the perfect test for them to once again prove their very real and very credible credentials. Look for Macarthur to succeed in doing so.
Betting tips: Choose the ‘Bulls’ to win at $2.30 (Bet365)
Also choose both teams to score at $1.62 (BlueBet)
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Melbourne Victory v Perth Glory6:45 PM AEDT, AAMI Park |
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Will Daniel Sturridge’s ongoing saga engulf the Glory, or can they put the Victory to the sword?
Despite featuring 23-year-old Nicholas D’Agostino up front, 22-year-old Ben Folami and 23-year-old Jake Brimmer in the middle, along with the 20-years-of-age Jay Barrnett, Lleyton Brooks and Nishan Velupillay off the bench, the Victory still found a way and a will to win, whilst convincingly at that, as they thrashed the Roar to the tune of a 3-1 scoreline at AAMI Park. That while the Glory contested a highly doubtful 1-0 defeat to Western United at the same venue.
Melbourne were ruthless in attack as they saw their goals come courtesy of a Kai Trewin OG (27th min), as well as via D’Agostino (31st min) and Folami (50th min), impressively marking their third consecutive triumph this campaign across all competitions. As for the travel-weary Glory, VAR did little to help them in their vanquishing defeat, when the assist leading up to Dylan Wenzel-Halls’s strike highly likely shouldn’t have stood. And it was only around a week ago when the Victory prevailed 0(4)-0(3) in an FFA Cup penalty shootout win over Perth. Whilst the game prior saw a brilliant five-minute H2 period when in quick succession of one another Bruno Fornaroli, then Chris Ikonimidis found the back of the net with sublime strikes. While before that Brimmer’s 90th minute spot kick was the go! We should no doubt be in for another memory maker right here.
There are certainly many fans around the A-League Men competition who have a strong disdain towards Melbourne, while Daniel Sturridge’s ‘antics’ certainly hasn’t initially endeared the Glory to many people in the way that they initially expected his much-anticipated fanfared arrival would. But even if you love to hate em, your gonna love what’s on show here. A bunch of young, talented kids led by the only A-League Men/Aussie coach to have won the ACL taking on a side that is capable of producing scintillating moments when they’re on their game, see RD1, Bruno Fornaroli long-range rocket screamer for reference. With ‘Popa’ in tow + Fornaroli for the visitors, this clash is simply at the mercy of it’s incredible, incredible, incredible talent.
Betting tips: Pick the Victory to triumph at $2.20 (Bet365)
Also pick the Victory to come up with over 1.50 goals at $2.10 (Bet365)
Best Bets of the Round
Back City to triumph at $1.45 (Bet365)
And also for H1 to produce over 0.50 goals at $1.28 (Bet365)