The following are previews with betting tips for Round 10 of the 2022/23 A-League Mens season.
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Friday, December 30
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Western United v Brisbane Roar7:45pm AEDT, AAMI Park |
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Western United prepare to host the Roar off the back of two straight victories, as well as having won six out of their last 10 home clashes overall. However Brisbane appear to be equally as strong and well poised for this battle of the two finals aspiring sides, having triumphed in five of their last seven clashes overall on the road. With both sides less than two wins off second-place who will come out on top in this no doubt topsy turvy affair?
I strongly believe that it will be the ‘Green & Black’ who come out on top in this matchup. Over their last two wins they are beginning to look like the champions of old. Just last round they beat the Victory 1-0 and despite them (Melbourne) attempting 16 shots in total, only four went on target. While prior to that against Western Sydney they limited them to just four of nine on target in total, in what was another 1-0 win to their name. And even before that against Perth, despite losing, they still stuffed the game full with their suffocating 63% ownage of the ball. John Aloisi’s Men last season were known for their notoriously difficult-to-break-down-defence and now they appear to be doing it all over again. Brisbane will struggle to break them down.
Betting tips: Back Western United to win at $2.19 (BoomBet)
Also look for them to open the scoring at $1.85 (TexBet)
Saturday, December 31
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Central Coast Mariners v Melbourne Victory7:00pm AEDT, Central Coast Stadium |
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Three of the last five matches contested between the Mariners and the Victory have resulted in draws. However when you input Newcastle-bound Garang Kuol into the equation things become a lot more spicy. The 18-year-old is playing his final game for the Mariners before he departs for Europe in the new year. With two goals and three assists to his name in eight clashes this season, what impact will he have in his last ever match in a Mariners uniform?
During the Victory’s latest outing against Western United, a ‘closed doors’ Derby, they only managed to land four of their shot attempts on target, despite attempting 4X that many on the day. Making the defeat even more disappointing is the fact that they could have hypothetically done so much more with their 60% possession of the ball throughout the match. The Central Coast on the other hand have bagged 13 goals at home this season from only six matches, if the current trajectories continue then there’ll be only one winner here and it won’t be the team that just brought the entire competition into disrepute. Luis Nani’s return should however give them at least some sort of a reprieve, even if it’s only temporary.
Betting tips: Look for a strong Mariners victory at $2.40 (BlueBet)
And don’t be afraid to pick both teams to find the back of the net either at $1.58 (BoomBet)
Sunday, January 1
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Newcastle Jets v Sydney FC3:00pm AEDT, McDonald Jones Stadium |
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At the time of writing, the Jets are flying high under the guidance of Arthur Papas, as they currently occupy sixth-spot on the ladder and sit just three-points behind second-place. Meanwhile Sydney are trudging around in tenth, on just 10-points for the season. During the Jets latest outing in Adelaide it was Jaushua Sotirio who produced the only strike of the game on the 25-minute mark via a finely taken right-footed attempt, in his sides 1-0 win over the ‘Reds’. This was just his first goal of the new campaign. Can he continue to make strides in a Newcastle victory, or will Sydney have some new year cheer in the Hunter Valley?
The Jets could easily smash Sydney at home in this one, however on the flip side Sydney could also probably just as easily flip the script over and come out with a five-star performance. Some rumours have it that ‘Sky Blues’ head coach Steve Corica has already been sacked or is on the verge of being done, so this game represents a must win for both himself and his team of overpaid underachievers. No Joe Lolley due to a careless tackle in his sides uninspiring display against Macarthur last weekend hurts the visitors badly, but Jack Rodwell’s return form injury is also something exciting to look out for. Regardless of who wins, pick it to be a close one.
Betting tips: Look for both sides to seek refuge in the back of the net at $1.52 (BlueBet)
And look for Adam Le Fondre to rediscover some of his previous venom with a strike at anytime at $1.80 (BoomBet)
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Western Sydney Wanderers v Macarthur FC5:00pm AEDT, CommBank Stadium |
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From Blacktown to Macarthur is only around an 80KM difference or so. Enter the Wanderers and ‘Bulls’ two sides who are performing well above expectations this season and will be looking to continue their onslaught of the A-League Men’s competition against one another. They have a filthy disdain towards each other and you only have to look back to their most recent 1-1 stalemate in Campbelltown to see exactly why. During that feisty clash a combined 22 fouls and eight yellow cards were dished out. Could another hot-headed affair be on the cards right here?
With the Wanderers in second on 15-points and the ‘Bulls’ in third on 14-points there is absolutely everything to play for here, including bragging rights! But after their damaging 3-0 Allianz Stadium rout of Sydney FC last round, it’s difficult to go past Dwight Yorke & Co to top this affair. They managed to shoot 6/23 on target, despite only owning 43% possession of the ball. Whilst they also outdueled them in the air, winning 11 to Sydney’s seven. Aiding the ‘Bulls’ pursuit is their recent hot record of three wins from their last four games and the fact that they’ve never, NOT ONCE, lost a match against Western Sydney. This’ll be a good, good, good game of Football!
Betting tips: Bet on a fantastically contested ‘Bulls’ dub at $3.80 (Bet365) – They’ve never lost vs Western Sydney!
Also look for the collective corners throughout the match to be at 9+ at $1.44 (Bet365)
Monday, January 2
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Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne City1:00pm AEDT, Sky Stadium |
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Wellington’s latest game was a stuffy old 1-1 draw vs Perth at Macedonia Park, a venue where they shot 5/7 on target. Yet a venue where they also allowed the hosts to roam free with the ball despite the obvious liabilities and problems within the Glory’s side. However in defence of the Phoenix, City didn’t do all that much better last round. They only just prevailed against the Mariners at home, winning 1-0. And it could’ve been more if Jamie Maclaren’s penalty attempt hadn’t been thwarted smartly on the stroke of half-time by rival Goal Keeper Danny Vuckovic. Maclaren did still bag his 10th strike of the season though, to go five clear off of second-place. Will the Phoenix be smarter with their chances in New Zealand, or will Jamie Maclaren torch the hosts?
Speaking of Maclaren, the boisterous Socceroos Striker, has secured two goals from his last three appearances against the ‘Nix’. And when these sides last met over in New Zealand, he didn’t even feature on the score-sheet, yet it was still a dominant 6-0 win in favour of City! Sorry to all ‘Nix’ fans in advance but he will terrorise Wellington in this encounter. The one saving grace for the hosts may be international ‘Kiwis’ Goal Keeper Oli Sail. The 26-year-old is averaging 3.11 saves per game this season and City will no doubt keep him on his toes with their strong wealth of attacking options. This game belongs to Melbourne, but Wellington should keep it tight and not be afraid to fight.
Betting tips: Bet on a close Melbourne win at $2.15 (Bet365)
And also look for Jamie Maclaren to fire in the games opening goal at $4.00 (Bet365)
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Adelaide United v Perth Glory7:45pm AEDT, Coopers Stadium |
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To finish off the round we get to play witness to yet another brilliant A-Leagues rivalry, the battle of South vs West, as the ‘Reds’ take on the vastly improved Glory at the newly renovated Hindmarsh Stadium. Adelaide have won their last three head-to-heads on the trot against Perth, prevailing 2-1, 2-0 and 2-1 respectively. And it’s been Japanese-born Striker Hiroshi Ibusuki who’s starred during these testy matches, scoring two goals from his last three encounters against arch-rivals Perth. Matching that though will be Giordano Colli and Aaron McEneff who have shared the scoring loads for Perth this season with two strikes a piece. So, who comes out on top in this Round 10 Derby matchup?
Despite their disastrous 1-0 loss at home to the Jets last round, it’s incredibly difficult to envision anything other then an Adelaide victory in this Derby. In every single game they’ve featured in this season, Perth are yet to keep a single clean sheet. Meanwhile last weekend was only one of two occasions this campaign when the ‘Reds’ have failed to find the back of the net at least once. Those sorts of ‘performances’ are far and few in-between for Adelaide and we’re all going to once again witness why come Monday night.
Betting tips: Look for a ‘Reds’ triumph at $1.72 (BlueBet)
And also look for H2 to be the highest scoring one at $2.04 (BoomBet)
Best Bets of the Round – Wellington Phoenix vs Melbourne City
Bet on a close Melbourne win at $2.15 (Bet365)
And also look for Jamie Maclaren to fire in the games opening goal at $4.00 (Bet365)