The following are previews with betting tips for Week 18 of the 2021/22 A-League Men season.
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Wednesday, March 02
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Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne Victory5:05PM AEDT, Central Coast Stadium |
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The Mariners latest clash in Gosford came with a huge sigh of relief as the fulltime whistle blew, as they edged out a nervy 2-1 win against the Roar, a previously massive hoodoo side of theirs. Beni N’Kololo struck first in the 49th minute and only six-minutes later Nicolai Muller doubled their advantage with a sweet right-footed effort via the free kick. As for the Victory a Nick D’Agostino double eased them past Macarthur 3-1 at AAMI Park. That was the former Glory Striker’s fifth and sixth strikes of the campaign. With confidence now on the 24-year-olds side again there’s no reason he can’t back it up with another superb game against the Central Coast.
Did you know that the Mariners are undefeated in six of their last eight overall clashes at Central Coast Stadium. Meanwhile when coming up against the Victory at home, they’ve lost only one of their last four matchups. The Victory in comparison have lost two of their last three matchups but prevailed in 7/8 prior to that.
Betting tips: Look for the Victory to prevail at $2.55 (Sportsbet)
Also back them to produce over 1.5 strikes at $2.20 (Sportsbet)
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Melbourne City vs Macarthur FC7:05PM AEDT, AAMI Park |
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During their latest trip to AAMI Park last round against the Victory, Macarthur were severely damaged in their 3-1 defeat. Their sole strike of the match came via a lucky Apostolos Giannou strike in the 90th minute, while they allowed Melbourne to shoot 8/12 on target. They also won only 47 duels to their 50 and 11 aerials to their 18. It was an inferior performance all round and one that they’ll no doubt be looking to push into the back of their minds as they face off against 2nd placed City. A victory here could push them up to 3rd, but a loss could drop them all the way down to 5th. Needing to prove that they can compete with the A-Leagues best, this match is paramount when it comes to the context of the ‘Bulls’ season.
Did you know that City have won two of their overall three clashes against the ‘Bulls,’ whilst Melbourne also possesses a strong scoring edge against the Campbelltown-based club, having scored six strikes to one overall against them. The ‘Bulls’ have also tasted defeat in four of their last eight trips on the road.
Betting tips: Pick this match to fashion over 2.5 goals overall at $1.50 (Sportsbet)
Also pick City to score 1+ goals in both H1 & H2 at $2.10 (Sportsbet)
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Wellington Phoenix vs Newcastle Jets7:45PM AEDT, Central Coast Stadium |
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23-year-old Reno Piscopo is having the season of his life at the moment. For the campaign he’s scored X3 strikes and has also registered 17 shot assists. The ex-Inter Milan youth player is a big part of Wellington’s resurgence and rightfully so Ufuk Talay has placed more and more trust in him despite his age. Now coming up against a side in a similar ladder position to them (7th vs 8th), this is the type of game you need to win if you want to be featuring in the Top Six at the business end of the season. His ability to not only score himself, but also create opportunities for his teammates will be crucial against a side that has scored two goals each match in four of their last games.
Did you know that as of right now both Wellington and Newcastle, on 18 and 15 points respectively, appear to be well placed to have a genuine crack at the Top Six, as they both have numerical game advantages over other sides who currently occupy a finals berth. Despite this the Jets still struggle away from McDonald Jones Stadium, having won just one of their last seven away clashes. Meanwhile they have conceded 2+ goals in each and every one of those.
Betting tips: Back both teams to score at $1.53 (Sportsbet)
However, you can turn to Wellington to open the scoring at $1.83 (Sportsbet)
Friday, March 11
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Sydney FC vs Western United7:45PM AEDT, Leichardt Oval |
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If ever there was a time for Sydney to break out of their slump and get going again it would this game. Playing at home, against the best side in the A-League, with your season on the line, the ‘Sky Blues’ should need no more motivation than that. Yet unfortunately as was displayed in their disappointing 2-0 Derby defeat last round at CommBank Stadium, they’re just not up to the task this season, as they’ve struggled to put together any kind of decent results. Bobo and Adam Le Fondre are ageing badly, whilst Ryan Grant and Alex Wilkinson appear to have lost their mojo at the back. Western United could pounce this game and if they do, expect things to get extremely ugly for Sydney.
Did you know that Sydney’s loss to Western Sydney last weekend was their third consecutive defeat and additionally they’ve triumphed in only two of their last eleven matches. As for Western United, their latest result was a 2-1 win over the Jets at Mars Stadium, their tenth of the campaign from fifteen attempts. They’re also undefeated in their last four away games, keeping two clean sheets in the process.
Betting tips: Pick Western United to topple Sydney at $3.30 (Bet365)
Also look for their to be over 2.5 goals scored at $1.90 (Bet365)
Saturday, March 12
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Brisbane Roar vs Wellington Phoenix5:05PM AEDT, Moreton Daily Stadium |
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The Roar were fairly lethargic in their latest defeat, as they went down 2-1 to the Mariners at Central Coast Stadium. Their only goal came in the 69th minute though Juan Eduardo Lescano, his maiden Roar goal. And they had ample chances as well, going 4/13 on target + having two shots rattle off the woodwork. Jay O’Shea under-performed, with his pair of shots both being off target. However, he wasn’t only to blame, as Luke Ivanovic wasted his chances too, going 0/2 on target. Meanwhile Nicholas Olsen couldn’t make the net bulge despite both of his two shots being accurate. This has seemingly been the case for Warren Moon’s men all season long and against an inform Wellington side, I wouldn’t pick it to improve all that much.
Did you know that despite Brisbane’s well-documented struggles this season, they’ve actually been very tough to beat at Dolphin Stadium, having prevailed in six out of their last eleven games contested there. While they also have lost just three times there from their last fifteen clashes overall. As for Wellington they’ve been kept to a single goal or less over their past four road clashes.
Betting tips: Pick their to be twelve or more combined corners at $2.10 (Bet365)
Also look for the first goal scored to come via a shot at $1.44 (Bet365)
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Melbourne City vs Melbourne Victory7:45PM AEDT, AAMI Park |
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Derby Day is always exciting and equally as tense regardless of who you support! On one hand you have Australia’s current reigning champions in the form of Melbourne City. Then on the other you have the Melbourne Victory who have several titles to their name and are the reigning FFA Cup (now known as Australia Cup) winners. There’s also illusive talent on either team such as Jamie Maclaren or Marco Rojas, two members of A-League royalty. And with both sides fighting tooth and nail for 1st, that pressure only adds to the hype and to the spice surrounding this clash. Regardless of who wins this clash, as usual its going to be amazing!
Did you know Melbourne City have won six of their last nine games overall. However, when placed against the Victory in an all-intense Derby it’s completely different stories, as their last two contests against each other have resulted in 2-2 and 1-1 draws. Yet prior to that, it was City’s massacres with 7-0 and 6-1 wins, along with a 2-1 triumph as well. Patrick Kisnorbo’s men have also fashioned eight goals across their last three clashes at AAMI Park, which is something that needs to be considered as well.
Betting tips: Pick City to claim a tight win at $1.72 (Bet365)
Also look for this affair to produce twelve or less corners at $1.66 (Bet365)
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Macarthur FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers7:45PM AEDT, Campbelltown Stadium |
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With Mark Rudan’s contract extension until the end of the 2023/24 season put on blast by a lot of Wanderers supporters, Rudan gave them a glimpse of what he is trying to build in the form of his sides convincing 2-0 Derby victory over a lacklustre Sydney side at Parramatta. From start to finish the ‘Red & Black’ were by far the more dominant team. Whilst in comparison to his opposing manager in the form of Steve Corica, Rudan was doing everything right, standing up throughout the match, yelling vivid instructions at his players and genuinely doing everything that a good manager should be doing. Now he’s poised to face off on the sidelines against Ante Milicic, the former Matildas head coach and NSL Top Goal Scorer. The battle of the coaches is equally as important as whatever happens out on the field.
Did you know in the ‘Battle of the West’ Macarthur have won two of their three overall clashes against the Wanderers including their inaugural clash back in 2020, thanks to a deflected Mark Milligan freekick. Whilst both sides are displaying some patchy form currently, with Macarthur having lost two of their last five games and Western Sydney three over that same span.
Betting tips: Look for a Western Sydney victory at $3.20 (Sportsbet)
Also look for H2 to have the most goals within it at $2.00 (Sportsbet)
Sunday, March 13
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Adelaide United vs Newcastle Jets6:05PM AEDT, Coopers Stadium |
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Despite spending less then powerhouses such as City and the Victory, Adelaide this season under Carl Veart have been an exceedingly difficult team to face. With a team of players who want to play for the club and each other, along with the prowess of older, more experienced players such as Craig Goodwin, Juande and Hiroshi Ibusuki, the ‘Reds’ are a good chance of taking out this seasons Championship trophy. They play hard and as they’ve proven in recent weeks when the score is close and the match is tough, they can conjure up some magic towards the end of the game to seal the result. And while the Jets are good, Adelaide are simply better and with their extremely high aspirations all-three points should be theirs come the fulltime siren.
Did you know that the ‘Reds’ have bested Newcastle in eight of their previous eleven contests. Whilst when playing at home they’ve won five of six against Newcastle, with the other being a draw. The Jets have also lost three of their previous four road games by a combined score of 7-2. With Adelaide securely placed in 3rd, this match has the potential to spell trouble for Arthur Papas & Co.
Betting tips: Back Adelaide to prevail at $2.20 (Bet365)
Also look for only them to score at $2.20 (Bet365)
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Perth Glory vs Central Coast Mariners7:05PM AEDT, HBF Park |
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For the first time in many moths last round, Perth completed a fixture in Perth, going down 2-1 to Adelaide. Now that they’ve gotten that ‘first’ home game out of the way, it’s time to really knuckle down and start winning, otherwise Richard Garcia’s men are at risk of their campaign completely faltering. They have games in hand over other Top Six rivals, but they need to start taking advantage of it. That’s especially so with the majority of their games to finish off the season being played at home. And while the Mariners will be tough, they get ‘weak knees’ when playing in Western Australia.
Did you know that out of the last fourteen contests in which the Glory have hosted the Mariners, they’ve won ten of them. However, in a complete and utter contrast to that the Glory have lost their last three games on the trot at HBF Park, while the Mariners have lost their last six contests away from Gosford.
Betting tips: Look for a much needed Glory win at $2.20 (Sportsbet)
Also pick both teams to find the back of the net at least once each at $1.72 (Sportsbet)
Best Bets of the week – Central Coast Mariners vs Melbourne Victory
Look for the Victory to prevail at $2.55 (Sportsbet)
Also back them to produce over 1.5 strikes at $2.20 (Sportsbet)