The following are previews with betting tips for Round 12 of the 2022/23 A-League Mens season.
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Friday, January 13
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Macarthur FC v Central Coast Mariners7:45pm AEDT, Campbelltown Stadium |
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Both Macarthur and the Central Coast posted classy, well-earned wins at home last round, besting Newcastle 2-0 and Adelaide 4-0 respectively. For the ‘Bulls’ they’re now just two-points off 2nd-place after Mohamed Toure and the ever-illusive Ulises Davila found the back of the net. For Davila, this represented his second strike from just his previous three matches. Whilst he hadn’t found the back of the net in his four appearances prior to that. As for the Mariners they literally are the 2nd-place pacesetters thanks to an Isaias red card + strikes from Beni N’kololo and Jacob Farrell, as well as own goals via Alexander Popovic and Panashe Madanha. The tables have been set for a tantalisingly tasty Top Four clash between these two rivals.
This match will no doubt be close, fun and potentially goal-filled. All three ticked boxes meet the criteria to form one awesome Footballing display. The last time they met, the ‘Bulls’ edged out the opposition 3-2, thanks to Jed Drew’s insane 95th-minute winning strike. Prior to that there was six goals produced overall in what was an entertaining Mariners victory, with a combined 35-shots at goal being attempted that day. Whilst before that in a 3-3 stalemate between the two sides, Moresche stole the lead for the Central Coast 86-minutes on thanks to his smartly converted right-footed penalty attempt. That was before things were once again equalised via Craig Noone’s sterling low-placed strike. They love to play against one another and this one should be no different. What a fantastic way to begin around 12 with.
Betting tips: Look for Ulises Davila to continue his current hot streak and score at anytime at $2.64 (BoomBet)
Also look for the total goals scored in the game to be over 1.5 at $1.16 (Bet365)
Saturday, January 14
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Brisbane Roar v Wellington Phoenix5:00pm AEDT, Moreton Daily Stadium |
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Brisbane’s latest affair was an absolute firecracker as they went down 2-1 to Perth at Macedonia Park. Despite Connor Chapman equalising for the visitors on the 56-minute mark, that quickly went down the drain as Scott Neville produced an unfortunate own goal just four-minutes later. And a very, very controversial red card to Jay O’Shea just moments after Neville’s blunder at the very least made it one hell of an action packed matchup. Meanwhile for Wellington they too suffered from a ref with an iron fist throughout their courageous 1-0 win at Allianz Stadium vs Sydney. In front of 13,921 spectators Shaun Evans handed out two red cards to the Phoenix, added on 10-minutes of extra time and gave out two penalties in favour of the home side on the 97 and 99-minute marks. And despite all of that going against them, it was Oskar Zwada’s goal early on (his fourth this campaign) that delivered Ufuk Talay’s Men all three-points. With just a single point separating them on the ladder, this encounter is sure to be as feisty as any other we’ve witnessed this season.
Brisbane are currently in 5th-place on the ladder having drawn six of 11 games this season. Meanwhile Ufuk Talay’s Men are just one win (three-points) off 4th-place, as his side continue to entertain and perform well above expectations. And with relatively low budgets compared to the rest of the competition, these two teams need to be admired for what they’ve achieved so far. Because in all honesty, both sides were written off by experts and critics at the start of the campaign. Whoever wins here will soar high up the ladder (even if it’s temporary), so expect a smart display of Footballing acumen, as has become for norm for both Warren Moon & Talay respectively.
Betting tips: Back both teams to find refuge in the back of the net at $1.66 (Bet365)
And you can also back there to be over 0.5 goals scored in H1 at $1.37 (BoomBet)
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Adelaide United v Melbourne Victory7:45pm AEDT, Coopers Stadium |
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Both the ‘Reds’ and the Victory suffered some serious indignities last round, as Adelaide were sunk 4-0 on the Central Coast against the Mariners, whilst the Victory went down 1-0 at home against the Roar, in front of a paltry crowd of just 4,392 fans. The ‘Reds’ scored two own goals, whilst the Victory let the Roar score with their single on target shot of the match. Both rivals, particularly Melbourne are in dire need of a positive result at the moment and hopefully at least one of the two will get it come the conclusion of Saturday evening. The original Mens rivalry never fails to disappoint and believe you me there is some serious heat between the two teams. It’ll certainly produce, that much is for sure.
Adelaide and Melbourne’s latest meeting came late last year, also ironically at Hindmarsh Stadium, as the ‘Reds’ ran away powerful 3-0 victors. That day their goals were produced courtesy of Hiroshi Ibusuki – 37th-minute, Craig Goodwin – 86th-minute and Ben Warland – 91st-minute. They also shot 5/9 on target, compared to the opposition who went 3/10. And despite the will to win for the Victory in this matchup, for countless different reasons, we should again expect an Adelaide thrashing to occur right here. Despite some shoddy results recently, they’re still 3/4 at home this season and with Melbourne very much down on their luck, this Derby presents the ‘Reds’ with the perfect chance to pounce and inflict further hell on one of their biggest rivals in the process. And you can back them to do just that.
Betting tips: Look for this intense rivalry to produce over 1.5 strikes at $1.22 (Bet365)
And you can also back the defence to be strong with 9+ collective corners to occur at $1.53 (Bet365)
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Perth Glory v Sydney FC10:30pm AEDT, Macedonia Park |
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The Glory have yet to lose a game at home this season, winning three and drawing one, the latest of which was a tense 2-1 victory over the Roar. Meanwhile for Steve Corica’s ‘Sky Blues’ they have been shambolic on the road as of late, losing 2/5 this season away from Allianz Stadium (although they’ve been atrocious there too). Perth got home against Brisbane at Macedonia Park thanks to a fine Darryl Lachman left-footed effort. While a Scott Neville own goal sealed the result. As for Sydney against Wellington in Moore Park, despite being gifted a two-man advantage and being given two spot kicks in the dying moments of their ten or so minutes of stoppage time, they were still beaten 1-0. Adam Le Fondre failed to live up to the pressure as he missed both of those said precious penalty attempts. The Glory to their credit are on the verge of causing a genuine upset right here.
Whether rightly or wrongly Adam Le Fondre comes heavily into focus here because of what happened last game. The star Striker since his riches-filled return from India has been poor for Sydney. This season from 17 total shots and eight appearances, he’s registered just three strikes next to his name. And the season before he was very injury prone, competing in just seven total games. With the ‘Sky Blues’ struggles and woes piling up massively the ex-Premier League Footballer really needs to start leading by example and score more goals, as well as being more of a leader out on the field. The Glory have an incredibly leaky defence this campaign, so if he’s going to step up and deliver, then it may as well be against Ruben Zadkovich’s Men.
Betting tips: Look for at least one + goal to be scored in H1 at $1.04 (BoomBet)
Also look for Robert Mak to score anytime at $2.95 (TexBet)
Sunday, January 15
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Western Sydney Wanderers v Melbourne City3:00pm AEDT, CommBank Stadium |
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Contesting at their home of CommBank Stadium this season Mark Rudan’s Men have been nothing short of spectacular. They’ve won three out of five there + drawn once to. They’ve produced eight goals over that period and have conceded just half of that (four). Meanwhile Rado Vidosic’s troops have been victorious in four of their five clashes on the road this season. The ‘Red & Black’ did however lose their latest matchup, going down 1-0 to the Glory in Western Australia, as they shot 5/11 on target. Their undoing however was 21-year-old Perth Goal Keeper Cameron Cook who ‘cooked’ them up with five saves. As for City they ran rampant, coming out 4-0 victors against Western United at AAMI Park. Jamie Maclaren was amongst the chief beneficiaries as he scored in his tenth consecutive A-League Men’s game, continuing to surpass the previous record of eight straight. Melbourne also shot a commanding 6/14 on target, as they owned 53% possession of the ball in their rampant win. If the Wanderers step up to the plate here then this game could be a real thriller.
Melbourne have fashioned a grand total of seven goals over their last two games against Western United and Wellington. Two sides who are pretty decent might I add. Jamie Maclaren also has 13 goals this campaign, while Marco Tilio has produced three strikes + four goal assists. There’s also Matthew Leckie being a part of that damaging attack, with the Socceroo ever a dangerous and incredibly influential player. While the others include Andrew Nabbout, a 1X A-League Championship and 2X Premiership victor. In short, as good as their defence has been, it’s mattered little because they’ve just been able to destroy their rivals on the offensive side of things. If the Wanderers fail to produce attack-wise like what happened last round against the Glory, then this match may already be over before the whistle to kick-off has been blown. The ‘Red & Black’ need to be resilient on both sides of the field in order to have a chance in this encounter.
Betting tips: Pick a tight City victory at $2.10 (BlueBet)
And also look for them to open the scoring at $1.80 (TexBet)
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Western United v Newcastle Jets5:00pm AEDT, MARS Stadium |
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Western United have won four of their last five games against the Jets overall. However neither side was left particularly happy last round as the ‘Green & Black’ went down 4-0, as they were thrashed by City at AAMI Park. Meanwhile Newcastle weren’t much better as a sloppy Beka Mikeltadze spot kick ultimately cost them big time in their 2-0 loss to Macarthur at Campbelltown Stadium. John Aloisi’s Men had little to no composure in the final third as just one of their attempted 10 shots landed on target throughout the Derby. Meanwhile the Jets were pretty lacklustre in that department too, shooting only 2/13 on target, despite having 61% possession of the ball throughout the game. This matchup presents a great opportunity for either side to grab it by the throat and move up the standings, very close to the Top Six positions, in the process.
The ‘Green & Black’ have been triumphant in just three out of their last eight games at home. It’s a long fall from grace for the side whom not long ago posted a six-match home winning streak. However on the road this season the Jets have scored just three goals, yet conceded 12, so that might just be what gets the hosts ‘home’ here. Their ‘diamonds and rocks’ defence will absolutely be tested by Newcastle, but the visitors poor finishing should help contribute heavily to the opposition winning. It’ll definitely be an ugly matchup at times, but one that on the whole should still be worth watching.
Betting tips: Back an unconvincing ‘Green & Black’ win to occur at $1.83 (BlueBet)
Also look for them to score first out of the gates at $1.65 (TexBet)
Best Bets of the Round – Western Sydney Wanderers vs Melbourne City
Pick a tight City victory at $2.10 (BlueBet)
And also look for them to open the scoring at $1.80 (TexBet)