A-Leagues Mens Round 10 – Selected Previews & Betting Tips

The following are previews with betting tips for selected fixtures in Round 10 of the 2024/25 A-Leagues Mens season.

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Wellington Phoenix vs Newcastle Jets Saturday December 28, 3:00pm Sky Stadium

Wellington have lost their last three games in a row, meanwhile Newcastle have gone down in six of their last eight.  The Phoenix during the previous regular season lost just four games in total, whilst the Jets have failed to show much improvement throughout the current campaign. And now with both sides well out of the Top Six it’s crunch time and both are in serious need of a present this round and what better present then Santa helping to deliver them all three competition points? For the ‘Nix’ they’ll be hoping that Japanese maestro Midfielder Hideki Ishige can conjure up some more bicycle kick magic like he did last weekend in Parramatta against the Wanderers. Whilst the ‘Novocastrian’s’ will need more of the same from Ben Gibson. As last time out the talented young Forward put in a performance to remember with 2 goals + 1 assist in his sides 4-0 rout of the Glory at HBF Park.

Hideki Ishige only scores certified bangers in the A-League. His first goal was a magnificently taken free kick against the Central Coast and last round it was a supreme bicycle kick against the Wanderers. His magic is something that Wellington seem to be severely lacking this campaign after they were just one game away from the Grand Final last season. The former Asian Young Footballer of the Year has really made the Phoenix his home this season and now up against Newcastle, a team who conceded nine goals over their last four games prior to their latest result against the Glory is a good of a time as any to continue to make his mark.

Meanwhile the experienced 30-year-old will be pitted against the likes of Ben Gibson, a player who has really found his footing as of late in the A-League. Over the course of his last six games for the Jets he has two goals and three assists as Rob Stanton has entrusted him with a lot of responsibilities in the Midfield and he has paid back that faith handsomely. Against Wellington he has another shot to further show what he’s capable of and the height of Ishige (1.70ms) may be something he’ll look to potentially exploit in this Round 10 encounter. It’s a matchup that could go either way and that’ll be undoubtedly as exciting as it is unpredictable.

Betting tips: Back Wellington to win at $1.80 (BetR)

Also back the ‘Nix’ to open the scoring at $1.62 (Neds)

And finally back both teams to register 1+ goals a piece at $1.72 (Betfair)

 

Central Coast Mariners vs Auckland FC Saturday December 28, 5:00PM Industree Group Stadium

Haine Eames is the name and scoring superb goals is his game. Last weekend the 16-year-old Midfielder became the youngest ever goal-scorer in Mariners history when he found the back of the net versus the ‘Bulls’ in Campbelltown in what was a tense 1-1 stalemate against the hosts. Whilst for the ‘Black Knights’ they too were on the end of an unexpected surprise last round, albeit a pretty terrible one as they were bashed around at home 4-0 by Western United. That being their first official loss in franchise history and a pretty heavy one at that. Nothing went their way and they were down by two inside the games opening 24-minutes and three at the interval. If Mark Jackson continues to put faith in the Central Coast’s academy players then Eames will be looking to exploit Auckland’s defence similar to how Midfielder/Froward Riku Danzaki did against them at Mt Smart Stadium. As for Steve Corica’s Men he’ll be hoping that his more experienced team can pull themselves up, dust themselves off and get back out there in their attempts to continue to build on their one-point lead at the top of the ladder. Can the young ‘Coastie’s’ pull off the upset or will the A-League’s new Boys resume normalcy? Only time will tell.

Just two weeks ago the Central Coast beat Sydney FC 2-1 at home. Now they’ve contested a tough draw at Campbelltown Stadium. Slowly but surely they are on the rise. Whilst for Auckland it’s not exactly like they’ve been slouches this season. However their previously mentioned loss against the ‘Green & Black’ was pretty concerning. Against the Central Coast they need to be more assertive on the ball and more aware of the opposing players that are within a close proximity to them. And for the Mariners they need to do a bit of work on finishing off their chances better. Alou Kuol is their top scorer this season and he’s only scored two strikes. The ex-Stuttgart Forward seems a long way removed from his 2020/21 form still. However with a bit of luck and more concentration in front of goals he may be able to sneak one or two in past a seemingly shaky looking Alex Paulsen. This game isn’t as set in stone as it may seem and both sides will more then likely have their reasonable share of chances to win it. A big crowd could do wonders for the Coast, however if the conditions are rainy or windy they’ll also play their part at Industree Group Stadium. An interesting clash awaits regardless.

Betting tips: Pick a rebound Auckland victory at $2.35 (Betfair)

Also pick Auckland to be first on the score sheet at $1.83 (Neds)

And also look for Logan Rogerson to score anytime at $2.90 (Unibet)

 

Sydney FC vs Melbourne victory Saturday December 28, 7:35PM Allianz Stadium

A ‘Big Blue’ Derby on Saturday night at Allianz Stadium is something incredibly awesome to be excited about. On the one hand the visitors are currently in 3rd spot and just two points off the top of the ladder. And last round against City they showed that they’ll be okay without ‘Patty’ Kisnorbo after their 1-1 draw. Melbourne shot 8/23 on target and had 58% possession of the ball as they continued to flex their ‘attacking’ muscle under the newly found guidance of Arthur Diles. Whilst for Sydney FC they’ve been a bit off the mark so far this season but last weekend found some solace in Adelaide against the ‘Reds’ as Douglas Costa, the 3X Bundesliga and 3X Series A winner put in his best performance in a ‘Sky Blues’ jersey to date. He registered 2 goals + 1 assist, with his assist resulting in the 90+5th minute Jordan Courtney-Perkins equalising header. The visiting Victory aren’t without their own stars however as they currently boast the likes of the ever-flashy Midfielder Daniel Arzani and ageing like fine wine Forwards Bruno Fornaroli and Nikos Vergos, the 2X Super league victor with Olympiacos. In an affair stacked to the brim with super dooper names, who’ll take this one out?

Melbourne have won two of the last three ‘Big Blues’ after 3-0 and 2-0 wins last year. They have had the wood massively over Sydney as of late. Even during their latest clash against the ‘Sky Blues’ despite the affair ending with one goal a piece to both rivals the Victory dominated all the major stats. They shot 4/19 on target and owned 67% of the ball. They also forced a very unexpected red card out of Patrick Wood in the 36th minute. The onus is well and truly on Sydney in this one to turn this around because the Victory will score at least 2-3 goals at Moore Park. How Ufuk Talay’s troops respond to this exciting, quality brand of Football will more than likely say a lot about how the game will turn out. In their most recent 3-3 draw against Adelaide Sydney shot 8/23 on target and made sure that they threatened them from every angle. Particularly during the second half they shot 5/14 on target as they sourced the very late equaliser. It’s quality A-League Football to help round out 2024. What more could you possibly ask for.

Betting tips: Look for a victory from the Victory at $2.63 (Betfair)

Also look for Bruno Fornaroli to score anytime at $2.55 (Unibet)

And back both rivals to get on the score sheet at least once each at $1.49 (Unibet)