The following are previews with betting tips for selected fixtures in Round 4 of the 2024/25 A-Leagues Mens season.
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Western Sydney Wanderers vs Newcastle JetsFriday November 08, 7:35pm |
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As the Wanderers and Jets prepare to face off against one another, they do so with completely different runs of form attached to their names. For Western Sydney they’ve won just one of their last 10 home games overall. Whilst in stark comparison Newcastle have won their last three away matches on the trot as they continue to go from strength-to-strength under former Waratah Cup and 2X NSL Championship victor Rob Stanton. Because for Alen Stajcic’s Men they last kept a clean sheet in Parramatta just under a year ago and most recently leaked four goals and conceded 8/19 shots on target against a far more determined then them Adelaide United side in what was a one-goal defeat at CommBank Stadium. For the visitors however they were far more prosperous last time out as they travelled to Campbelltown and secured a 2-1 comeback win over the ‘Bulls’ thanks to an exciting double from young attacking prodigy Eli Adams. They might be big in name, however in terms of actual play out on the field Western Sydney have a hell of a lot of work to do here in order to secure what would be their first three-points of the season.
Last round WSW lost to ADL 4-3 @ CommBank Stadium – w goals to Nicolas Milanovic 24th min, Bozhidar Kraev 53rd min and Brandon Borrello 75th min.
Last match NEW beat MAC 2-1 @ Campbelltown Stadium – w goals to Eli Adams 56th & 60th mins.
Pick the Wanderers to contest a tough win at $1.72 and also to open the scoring at $1.50 (Bet365)
With Lawrence Thomas out due to his accidental tripping injury, one of the ‘Red & Black’ members who will have to put in the most hard yards in this matchup is young Goalkeeper Tristan Vidackovic. With the exception of Gabriel Cleur last round, a seasoned veteran who has plied most of his career over in Italy, the Defenders placed in front of Vidackovic are either young and relatively inexperienced like himself or getting up there in terms of age, with all due respect to Jack Clisby. So as if stepping into the shoes of one of the current Socceroos custodians wasn’t hard enough, Vidackovic now has to adjust and mould his game on the fly due to the currently defensive predicaments surrounding the Wanderers. In the Sydney Derby in Round One he showed lots and lots of promise, so hopefully last weekend against Adelaide was just a blip on the radar for him in terms of his less than glamorous performance. In spite of his multiple errors, he has showed he’s a very alert Goal Keeper who can make saves at/from difficult angles. And perhaps playing against the Jets may just be the tonic he needs in order to get back to the best version of his playing self. Western Sydney need him on fire if they want something from this encounter.
My final verdict is that Western Sydney, who have won two and drawn three of their last five games against Newcastle will be searching ever so desperately for a win in this encounter. They flexed their attacking muscle last time out against Adelaide and so if they can fix up their defensive gaps here they’ll be very tough to thwart. Look for the goals to rain in a fun game of Football.
Betting tips: Back both teams to score at $1.49 (BoomBet)
And back the total corners to be 9+ at $1.20 (Bet365)
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Sydney FC vs Macarthur FCSunday November 10, 6:00pm |
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It’s a polarising Derby, however meetings between Sydney and Macarthur never disappoint as the ‘Sky Blues’ prepare to play their first game of the season at Allianz Stadium. The last time they met Robert Mak conjured up a commanding double as the hosts eliminated the ‘Bulls’ 4-0 in the first week of the finals at Moore Park. Prior to that the ‘Bulls’ had two Men giving their marching orders but still held on against a fast finishing opposition side for a 1-0 win. The reigning Australia Cup winners thrashed Sydney 2-0 and 3-0, whilst prior to that the ‘Sky Blues’ claimed a 3-2 victory thanks Adrian Segecic’s well-placed 83rd minute winner. It was also against Sydney last season when Macarthur as it’s now common knowledge infamously collected multiple yellow cards in order to be paid out with illegal gambling money. Combined with the attacking flair that both teams now posses, Sydney with 17 goals over their last four home games and MacArthur with five wins from their last six away encounters, this Derby is set to go absolutely and unequivocally through the roof.
Last round SYD beat BRI 3-2 @ Suncorp Stadium – w goals to Patryk Kimala 51st min, Leo Nana 71st min and Jaiden Kurcharski 90th min.
Last round MAC lost 2-1 to MVC @ AAMI Park – w a goal to Valere Germain 51st min.
Pick Sydney to edge out the Derby at $1.57 and for them to find the back of the net first at $1.40 (Bet365)
Whatever happens in this affair it’s guaranteed to be a banger. And only adding to the spice of it all is former Sydney captain turned Macarthur and Australia Cup victor Luke Brattan returning to the fold where he won three trophies as a Defensive Midfielder as well as 1X Sydney FC player of the season award. He’s publicly spoken out about how he believes the club treated him poorly and that may well serve him with the fire needed to come in hard this game. The hosts may also have a point to prove in that they were right to let him go as he was known for being a bit trigger happy, with both his words and actions. And with both sides having Grand Final glory rightfully so in their sights for this season there is plenty to contest for in this early Derby. With ladder positions and bragging rights being amongst the myriad of different things. Look for this affair to go bang as both teams fight it out on Sunday evening.
My final verdict is that with both Douglas Costa (two assists from three AFC2 games this season) & Joe Lolley (12 goals & seven assists domestically last campaign) likely returning to the fold here, that’s just too much attacking power for even the ‘Bulls’ to lock their horns against. Sydney have been playing some sweet, sweet Football as of late, whereas Macarthur looked a tad disjointed last Sunday afternoon against Melbourne. In front of what should be a sea of ‘Sky Blue’ look for them to get the job done in their home territory.
Betting tips: Look for both teams to register 1+ strike a piece at $1.49 (Unibet)
And also look for there to be 9+ corners at $1.18 (Bet365)