The following are previews with betting tips for Round 17 of the 2022/23 A-League Mens season.
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Friday, February 17
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Western United v Wellington Phoenix7:45pm AEDT, University of Tasmania Stadium |
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Wellington have triumphed in seven of the 11 matches that these two sides have contested against one another. However, they have also interestingly enough lost their last two against the ‘Green & Black’ as well, coming via scorelines of 3-2 and 1-0 last year.
Then fast forwarding to Western United’s most recent affair, they were left thoroughly disappointed at AAMI Park as they blew a 2-0 lead to go down 3-2 against Adelaide, as they leaked three second-half strikes in the 68th, 76th and 86th-minutes of the game. That was despite a heart-warming first-ever A-League goal from Noah Botic and Aleksander Prijovic’s fourth strike of the campaign to date. As a result Western United are currently languishing in 11th-place and have won just three times out of their nine home games this season. Whilst for Wellington they currently find themselves in 6th on 21-points, but being closely trailed by both Newcastle and Macarthur who are on the same amount of points, they just have exceedingly worse GDs. And the Phoenix certainly did themselves no favours at Campbelltown Stadium on Sunday as they suffered a 2-1 defeat at the ‘horns’ of the ‘Bulls’. It was the perfect start to life as Bozhidar Kraev opened the scoring for the visitors just four-minutes in, but two phenomenal penalty saves by ex-Wellington turned-Macarthur Goal Keeper Filip Kurto, as well as their own Yan Sasse missing his attempt on the 44-minute mark, meant that the hosts collected all three-points from their heated affair.
Both sides need a much-needed win here and this clash is a 50;50 as to who will take it out. However if one Man can single handedly take the game by the scruff of the neck and do something with it then look no further than Wellington Forward Oskar Zawada. The former Poland youth international is a tough, tough player and one who has registered eight goals, one assist and 10 shot assists this season. He is one constant for an inconsistent Phoenix side. And he’s the constant that could deliver Wellington what would be just their sixth win of the campaign to date.
Betting tip: Back both teams to score at $1.58 (BoomBet)
Saturday, February 18
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Macarthur FC v Newcastle Jets5:00pm AEDT, Campbelltown Stadium |
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In four of the overall six matchups played between Macarthur and Newcastle, at least one side in those four games if not both have scored two strikes. The ‘Bulls’ also ‘rammed’ their way to a 2-0 win the last time they met, while the Jets ‘soared’ off for a 3-0 dub in the match prior.
Filip Kurto was the hero at Campbelltown Stadium last round as he made to very good penalty saves in what proved to be an eventual 2-1 win over his former side Wellington, in addition the opposition also scuffed their own attempt on the stroke of half-time. However the current Macarthur Goal Keeper didn’t have everything go his way, as he leaked the games opening goal inside the first five-minutes. However both Ulises Davila and Moudi Najjar were on hand to ensure that their ‘Bulls’ are now just three-points behind 4th-place in what is growing to be an increasingly tight A-League campaign. And in a very positive sign they also shot 8/15 on target against Ufuk Talay’s Men. Meanwhile for Newcastle they too sit just three-points off 4th-spot after their special 2-1 home win over the Victory. Beka Mikeltadze scored his fourth of the season for the Jets 37-minutes on, whilst a Kosta Grozos special 21-minutes later delivered the massive result home. Newcastle picked their spots perfectly, as despite attempting just six shots the entire match, three of them landed on target.
Ulises Davila was very, very effective in his sides win against his former side Wellington. He showed up big time with one strike, three shots on target from four attempts, one shot assist, 41 completed passes at an 89% accuracy rate and four won duels. The former Chelsea Midfielder hasn’t hit his greatest heights this season, which due to personal circumstances is completely understandable. But if his latest performance is anything to go by then he might be well-primed to take care of Newcastle in this encounter. His pace, vision and IQ might just be a tad too much for them to handle.
Betting tips: Back both teams to score at $1.58 (BoomBet)
And also back the game to produce over 2.5 goals at $1.72 (Bet365)
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Sydney FC v Brisbane Roar5:00pm AEDT, Allianz Stadium |
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Sydney have fashioned three wins on the trot, while Brisbane in comparison have lost their last three in a row. But to add some spice to this matchup, the Roar have won their last two games against Sydney, both via 3-1 scorelines. In the most recent affair they shot an impressive 7/15 on target, whilst prior to that it was 5/12.
Playing in front of over 26000 supporters at CommBank Stadium last round Sydney FC gave them all a show, as they prevailed 1-0 over the Wanderers in the Sydney Derby. Alex Wilkinson was ‘fearless’ early on, whilst a Max Burgess belter on the 16-minute mark opened up the pitch a bit. However just as crucially Andrew Redmayne came to the rescue on several occasions. And then in the 64th-minute Yeni N’Gbakoto was given his marching orders for a completely unnecessary slap on Paulo Retre. As things stand the ‘Sky Blues’ are very close to the ‘Red & Black’ in the standings. Sydney are in 5th-position on 23-points, while Western Sydney are in 4th on 24-points. As for Brisbane they have tasted success for a grand total of three times this season from 16 attempts, as Warren Moon is reportedly considering his future at the club. And why wouldn’t he be? As they were once again beaten at Dolphin Stadium, this time via a 2-1 loss to the Central Coast. They had an abundance of chances as they shot 4/11 on target, however their passing wasn’t always the best at 76%, 313/410 and let them down during some crucial periods throughout the matchup.
With no Adam Le Fondre due to injury Patrick ‘Patty’ Wood will no doubt be given a fair amount of game time to strut out his stuff for the ‘Sky Blues’. With two goals in 13 matches this season, he’s shown glimpses of his capabilities and at just 20-years-of-age he is far from a finished product. Whilst last round against the Wanderers he went on a brilliant run only to be denied just short at the very end of it. This is an extremely good opportunity for him to cement himself as a regular Sydney player, so he absolutely must repay Steve Corcia by doing some things that will in fact show up on the scoresheet. The hosts might very well need him to be at his best this game.
Betting tips: Look for a Sydney win at $1.87 (BlueBet)
Also look for them to open the scoring at $1.57 (Bet365)
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Melbourne Victory v Melbourne City7:45pm AEDT, AAMI Park |
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The last Melbourne Derby was abandoned due to unforeseen and horrific crowd violence. However three of the last five matches between that have all been draws, with the two arch-rivals unable to be separated. Only further strengthening that case is that there is also one City win and one Victory win in that stretch as well.
For the Victory their disappointing season continued on against the Jets last Sunday as they went down 2-1 at McDonald Jones Stadium. Despite all the optimism surrounding Melbourne’s new signings it wasn’t enough, as the embattled giants still currently find themselves rooted to the bottom of the ladder. A quite compelling statistic from that game was that they gave away 17 fouls, whereas in comparison the Jets ceded just 11. Melbourne City in comparison last round leaked only 13 in their 4-2 win over Perth at Macedonia Park. Their two-goal buffer meant that they are the first team to win their all season long! But they were forced to do it the hard way as Jordan Bos’s right-footed opener 16-minutes in was ruled out by Jack Clisby’s equaliser just nine-minutes later. Then 62-minutes on Valon Berisha found refuge in the back of the net with what was his first every goal in City colours, only to be ruled out by veteran David Williams for the hosts … again nine-minutes later. However two late, well-worked strikes from both Matthew Leckie and Florin Berenguer meant that they left Western Australia with their 10th victory of the season from 15 games, as they sit eight-points ahead of 2nd-place in 1st.
Bruce Kamau! When he was younger he was touted very highly at City and it showed as across two seasons at the club he collected seven assists, in addition to helping the club win their inaugural trophy, an FFA Cup (now Australia Cup). And as ex-players are, they are normally motivated to do well against their old club and he should be no exception to the rule. Particularly in one of the biggest games on the Australian Footballing calendar, that is the Melbourne Derby! The Victory have struggled to generate much in the way of fluent and consistent attack this season but he has the potential to change that. For better or for worse look for him to feature heavily for the Victory in this no doubt heated matchup.
Betting tips: Back this Derby to produce over 2.5 goals at $1.80 (Bet365)
Also back there to be 9+ collective corners at $1.57 (Bet365)
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Perth Glory v Central Coast Mariners10:00pm AEDT, Macedonia Park |
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Perth have won five and drawn three of their last nine games at home. While for the Central Coast they have collected just four-points from a possible nine, via their last three appearances against the Glory. Meanwhile the last time they met in Western Australia they stuttered their way to a 0-0 stalemate, that despite a combined 27-shots being peppered away throughout the match.
Despite both Jack Clisby and the ever-ageless David Williams finding the back of the net at a sold out Macedonia Park last round, the Glory could count themselves a tad unlucky, as in the end they went down 4-2 to Melbourne City. That being their first loss of the season at that venue! Despite having limited possession, owning just 42% of the ball, they still did very well to shoot 4/9 on target. However in the end it was the oppositions class that regrettably shone through the most. Despite that though things are looking up for Ruben Zadkovich’s Men at the moment as a win here depending on other results could potentially propel them into a finals spot. Meanwhile the Mariners did well to bounce back from what was a disappointing past few rounds, as they survived multiple flight cancellations to beat Brisbane 2-1 at Dolphin Stadium. A somewhat controversial penalty saw Beni Nkololo step up in the 69th-minute and calmly and cooly convert it to give his side what prove to be an unbreakable lead. However the Central Coast probably deserve some luck going their way anyway! They are the team to beat after Melbourne City as they currently occupy 2nd-spot.
Speaking of players meeting their old employers, Jack Clisby faces one of his this weekend in the form of the Central Coast Mariners. The veteran A-League Defender represented the club across 71 games from 2018-21 before departing for the Glory at the end of 2021. And currently representing a youthful Perth side he has been an exceptional influence and player. He’s won 37/72 duels (51%), completed 13/18 tackles (72%), as well as having won 3/7 take ons. Outside of that he’s completed 77% of his attempted passes, good for 238, scored twice and assisted once as well. And averaging 85-minutes per match over 11 games so far this season, he has been very long lasting and not afraid to put his body on the line for his teammates. I once again will back him to put in a very, very solid shift in this encounter.
Betting tip: Look for Jason ‘Cum Dog’ Cummings to score anytime at $2.05 (BoomBet)
Sunday, February 19
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Adelaide United v Western Sydney Wanderers5:00pm AEDT, Coopers Stadium |
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The visiting Wanderers have been woeful away from home recently, winning just two of their last 14 clashes on the road. And when playing in Adelaide against the ‘Reds’ they haven’t been much better as of late, triumphing in just 4/14. With the ‘Reds’ in 3rd-spot on 26PTS and the Wanderers in 4th-position on 24PTS, this clash will certainly have some added spice to it.
Adelaide were all smiles come full-time at AAMI Park as they overcame a 2-0 deficit to triumph 3-2 over a seemingly luckless Western United side. Zach Clough began the comeback 68-miniutes on, before Ryan Kitto made the scores even eight-minutes later. Then it was Craig Goodwin who shattered the home fans hearts with his decisive 86th-minute winner. That was his seventh strike of the season, while overall his ‘Reds’ were extremely lethal. They owned 56% of the ball throughout the matchup, whilst they also shot 9/15 on target. They are now also equal 2nd and have lost just four times so far this season from 16 games! Things as they currently are seem to be looking pretty good for Carl Veart & Co. As for the Wanderers they suffered a disappointing home 1-0 Sydney Derby defeat to the ‘Sky Blues’. In a feisty affair that was highlighted by Yeni N’Gbakoto being given his marching orders 64-minutes on after a silly slap to the face of Paulo Retre. His mistake costing his side massively. As Sydney Derbies normally go this was certainly one not to be missed, as Milos Ninkovic was hounded by the away supporters every time he touched the ball. Whilst Marko Rudan and opposition manager Steve Corcia got into it a bit after the full-time whistle was blown. Now Western Sydney are in 4th-place with 6/16 victories for the campaign.
Ryan Kitto is the sort of player you never really give much notice too, because he’s not a superstar but he is an incredible work horse and one of the good guys of the A-League. Because the 148X Adelaide United Defender constantly does his job week-in week-out with little praise afforded to him. Instead that goes to the big guns like Craig Goodwin and the quickly emerging talent that is Joe Gauci. Because Kitto is a bloke who doesn’t need the praise, as his teammates no doubt recognise what a selfless warrior he is out on the field. Already this season he has locked down 540 completed passes, at a 78% completion rate. While he has also won 69/130 duels (53%), 21/35 tackles (60%) and 9/19 take ons (47%). With Western Sydney searching ever so desperately for goals and with the potential of what they could throw up against the ‘Reds’, Kitto will need to be at full attention in order to help his side win this closely contested matchup.
Betting tip: Back a ‘Reds’ victory at $2.25 (BlueBet)
Best Bets of the Round – Sydney FC vs Brisbane Roar
Look for a Sydney win at $1.87 (BlueBet)
Also look for them to open the scoring at $1.57 (Bet365)