The following are previews with betting tips for Round 5 of the 2017/18 A-League season.
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Friday, November 3
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Melbourne City v Sydney FC7:50 PM AEDT, AAMI Park |
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A-League fact: Melbourne City have won four from four this season and are outright top of the ladder. As well as this they have scored seven goals and conceded only an even more impressive one, while having three clean sheets.
Last time they met: The past three times these sides have encountered each-other Sydney have come away with three victory’s and a combined aggregate score of 8-1. As well as this Bobo has also bagged two doubles in two of these affairs. The last game they met was in the FFA Cup as Sydney knocked out City on their way to a comfortable 2-0 win. That day Jordy Buijs opened the scoring in the 7th minute while Alex Brosque scored the second goal in the 51st minute. However playing up in Melbourne and being up against a dominant City side will be a completely different proposition to that of seasons past and Sydney will be up against it to stop City going five of five.
What happened last round: It was Ross McCormack who stole the show and the game for City bagging a double within the space of six minutes. He has now kicked three from only four games this campaign and in the process led Melbourne to their fourth consecutive win. McCormack and his City teammates also inflicted Adelaide’s first loss of the season onto them. For their rivals Sydney the VAR was at the forefront of the match as they beat Perth 2-0 at Allianz Stadium. It was a very strange match as Sydney received three penalties and converted two of them. For Bobo he missed the first penalty, but converted the second on the stroke of halftime. Then with the final play of the game Adrian Mierzejewski scored from the spot and gave the Sky Blues a somewhat controversial victory.
What should happen: City’s hot start coming to an end. So far this season City have beaten the winless Roar, Melbourne Victory, Wellington (a team that failed to make the Top Six last season) and Adelaide United, a team that if it weren’t for the hapless Jets last season, would’ve finished in last place. As for Sydney they have faced the Victory as well and kept them to zero goals, beaten Wellington just like City, come back from 2-0 down to draw with Western Sydney and beaten one of the other best teams of last campaign Perth, 2-0. Melbourne now face some real, legitimate opposition and it should spell the end of their unbeaten run.
Betting tip: Pick Sydney to hand City their first loss of the season at $2.19 (Pinnacle)
Pick them to also strike first at $1.76 (CrownBet)
Saturday, November 4
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Newcastle Jets v Wellington Phoenix7:50 PM AEDT, McDonald Jones Stadium |
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A-League fact: Newcastle have scored 10 goals so far this campaign led by Roy O’Donovan (five). While the Phoenix have scored only one more than O’Donovan’s season total (six).
Last time they met: The Phoenix didn’t have many wins in season 2016/17, but when they did come out victorious, they made sure the opposition knew it. The greatest example of that being the last encounter these two sides contested, which resulted in a resounding five goals to nil Wellington win. That day Barbarouses opened the scoring followed by Finkler, Ridenton, a Jason Hoffman own goal and Bonevacia closed it in the 86th minute of the match. Wellington however have only two points this season while Newcastle have eight meaning their is the potential for the score to be reversed this time around.
What happened last round: The Jets continued their undefeated start to the new season as they battled to a 1-1 draw with Western Sydney. Former-Jet Mark Bridge opened the scoring for the Wanderers before Dimitri Petratos hit back for his second in as many games to get his side a point. Despite playing well without marquee man Ronald Vargas, time will tell whether or not Newcastle are able to cope play without him. But an early assessment of things is that they looked good. Meanwhile Newcastle’s opponents, Wellington, blew a great chance to land their first victory of the season. They scored within the first minute of the game against Brisbane and led 3-0 before eventually blowing that lead and having to settle for a 3-3 draw. With both sides showing some form this campaign, this one should definitely be worth watching.
What should happen: A convincing Newcastle win. With the exception of their opening game 5-1 thrashing of the Mariners, the Jets are really yet to put in another commanding performance such as that one. However they are coming up against a defensively leaky Wellington side (conceded three goals last week). This should mean that Newcastle will again turn on the Jets (no pun intended) and post a big, convincing win over their opposition.
Betting tip: Pick Newcastle to strike first at $1.69 (CrownBet)
Also pick Roy O’Donovan to bag his sixth goal for the season at any point during the match at $4.90 (UNIBET)
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Perth Glory v Adelaide United10:00 PM AEDT, nib Stadium |
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A-League fact: Perth are three points worse off through the opening four games of this season than they were last campaign (four compared to seven). This while Adelaide last season opened their account with three losses from four encounters and now only have one loss through their opening four this campaign.
Last time they met: The last game between these two sides had 34 fouls called between them. While the match possessed qualities of a fiery affair it was also a wasteful night from both sides. Perth had 13 shots but only 5 were on target while Adelaide had 16 in total but only 6 were on target. The goalscorers that day were Dylan McGowan and Diego Castro. Both teams have combined for 10 strikes this season so wastefulness should not be an issue in this clash. Rather what should be looked out for is the amount of chances given to each team.
What happened last round: For the Glory they conceded three penalties in their 2-0 loss to Sydney. However the Sky Blues were only up 1-0 right until the final play of the game where the game still could have been anybodys. But Mierzejewski converted the penalty to hand them the 2-0 win. With the exception of this clash, Perth have looked like a solid squad this season and should hopefully return to form against Adelaide. For Adelaide themselves they were handed their first loss of the new campaign going down to the undefeated Melbourne City 2-0. Ross McCormack was City’s only goal scorer with strikes in both the 11th and 16th minutes of the game.
What should happen: Diego Castro showing up and serving Adelaide a lesson in how Football should really be played. This season Castro’s stat-line reads: zero goals and zero assists. This from a man who last season had thirteen strikes and six assists. His side have been inconsistent this season winning one, drawing one and losing two. Expect him to step up with the leadership and skills necessary to deliver his side a much needed victory.
Betting tip: Pick Perth to win this clash at $2.20 (SBOBet, Bet365)
Also choose the total goals bracket of the match to be between 2-3 at $1.96 (SBOBet)
Sunday, November 5
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Brisbane Roar v Central Coast Mariners5:00 PM AEDT, Suncorp Stadium |
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A-League fact: The Mariners have the worst goal difference in the A-League with -5 while the Roar have the second worst with -4. This game has the makings of a high scoring affair.
Last time they met: The Roar are four from their past four against the Central Coast with an aggregate 12-3 scoreline going in their favour. The last clash they contested was 5-1 going the Roar’s way. The Mariners opened the scoring through Fabio Fererria to lead 1-0 but the now departed Jamie Maclaren scored three in eight minutes to steal away the game for Brisbane. Thomas Broich and D’Agostino closed the scoring for the winners. This clash should be a lot more tightly contested this time around as both sides seek their maiden win of the season.
What happened last round: When your down and out, with no hope of a win, who are you going to call? Massimo Maccarone. After his side were down 3-0 he scored his sides first and last strikes of the game to snatch the draw for them against Wellington. They were the 38 year olds 3rd and 4th goals of the season and he is already defying his critics with his scintillating form. Against a winless Central Coast side, he should again prove to be key in the Roar’s pursuit of a victory. For the Mariners they were well on their way to a win after an excellent Connor Pain strike in the 58th minute of the match but Leroy George scored just seven minutes later for the Victory to make it a 1-all draw. However playing against an also winless Roar side and having seemingly been so close to a win for several weeks now, this match provides the perfect opportunity for the Mariners to get on board for season 2017/18.
What should happen: A high scoring match. Brisbane this season have conceded a total of nine strikes while the Central Coast have let in an even worse ten. Both sides also posses prominent attacking threats in the likes of the previously mentioned Maccarone, Asdrubal and Daniel De Silva. The previous eleven games between these two sides have also produced a massive total of 38 strikes at an average of nearly three and a half goals per game. This match-up might not produce much in the way of defence, but the attack alone will make it well worth watching.
Betting tip: Pick this to be a goal scoring fest with seven or more goals to be scored within the match at $9.00 (SBOBet)
Also pick the man of the hour Massimo Maccarone to score at any point during the match at $5.30 (UNIBET)
Monday, November 6
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Melbourne Victory v Western Sydney Wanderers7:50 PM AEDT, Etihad Stadium |
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A-League fact: In six of the past seven clashes contested between these two sides at least one team every time has scored zero goals. Will history repeat itself or will the likes of Leroy George and Oriol Riera step up to the plate to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
Last time they met: 0-0 was the scoreline when these two teams last met in Round 26 of last season. It was a relatively boring affair and the only real highlight of the game came when Daniel Georgiveski was sent of in the 53rd minute of the match after receiving a yellow in the 40th minute. We should be in for a real treat of a game here despite both teams well-known struggles this season.
What happened last round: For the Victory it was a come from behind effort as they claimed a point for their efforts against the Mariners drawing 1-all. Connor Pain drew first blood for the opposition but Leroy George soon struck back for Melbourne resulting in the result that was. While for the Wanderers they too were forced to settle for a 1-all draw. They actually led their encounter with the Jets 1-0 courtesy of a Mark Bridge strike but a Dimitri Petratos goal later on in the game meant that the spoils were shared.
What should happen: An entertaining game. These two sides on their day are among the best in the competition and are capable of putting on a strong showing for the fans. We should expect no different in this match-up. The Victory are desperate for a first in of the season and it should show in their game. While the Wanderers, however inconsistent they may be, always challenge no matter who they play. This should be a cracker.
Betting tip: Pick the draw at $3.64 (Pinnacle)
Pick Western Sydney to strike first at $2.08 (CrownBet)
Best Bet of the Round
Pick at least one of Melbourne or Sydney to not score in their match at $2.18 (MadBookie)
Pick both the Victory and Wanderers to score at $1.61 (Bet365)