The following are previews with betting tips for Round 16 of the 2022/23 A-League Mens season.
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Friday, February 10
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Brisbane Roar v Central Coast Mariners7:45pm AEDT, Moreton Daily Stadium |
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A Carlo Armiento lightning strike was called no goal by VAR on the 60-minute mark and then 22-minutes on teenage sensation Nestory Irankunda made the Roar pay dearly for that as he smashed the ball past Jordan Holmes from a difficult angle into the back of the net, salvaging a crazy winner in the process for Adelaide. The Roar going down 2-1 at Hindmarsh Stadium in an affair that they had plenty of chances to win, as they shot 6/23 on target. Albeit that leaves Brisbane stranded in 10th-place with just three wins from 15 games on the season. Meanwhile for the Mariners they too were the victims of a hectic affair, as two red cards were dished out inside the games opening 25-minutes to the oppositions Ryan Grant and their own Brian Kaltack at Allianz Stadium. And despite a banging double via Jason ‘Cum Dog’ Cummings that simply wasn’t enough, as they suffered a spirited 3-2 defeat at the hands of Sydney FC. Although they are still 3rd on the ladder. However coming up against one another here, both sides will be extremely confident of collecting all three-points from this matchup.
The Mariners haven’t been all that flashy on the road as of late, having lost five of their past eight games away from Industree Group Stadium, including their last two on the trot. Both of those being one-strike defeats at the hands of Sydney and Wellington respectively. Against the ‘Sky Blues’ they allowed them to fire away 16 shots at their defence, as well as complete 85% of their passes, 373/440. Whilst prior to that the Mariners themselves had plenty of chances at goal versus the Phoenix, 18 in fact. And their passing was also at a high level, good enough for an 83% completion rate, 391/471. So using those past two matches as a brief snapshot into the Central Coast’s recent woeful away form, it’s clear for all to see the Nick Montgomery’s Men have a few issues plaguing them at present. Brisbane to have been far from where they should be at Moreton Daily Stadium & Suncorp Stadium this campaign, having won just once from eight attempts all season long. So on the bright side at least one of these teams should walk away happy come the full-time whistle.
Betting tip: Look for this game to fashion over 2.5 goals within it at $1.80 (Bet365)
Saturday, February 11
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Western United v Adelaide United5:00pm AEDT, AAMI Park |
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Jamie Young put in a vintage display last round at CommBank Stadium, regrettably though his SIX SAVES weren’t enough to salvage anything for the ‘Green & Black’, as they went down 1-0 to the Wanderers. If it weren’t for Young’s constant heroics in the ridiculous heat then his side would’ve gone down by three or four goals at least! As the veteran Goal Keeper endeavoured to make himself huge at every available turn. And with the opposition shooting 7/20 on target, Western United themselves weren’t presented with many chances to imprint their vision onto the game. As for Adelaide their result at Hindmarsh Stadium was much, much more positive as they went from being down 2-1 for a few fleeting moments versus Brisbane, before VAR ruled it a no goal and then Nestory Irakunda made himself known, as the 16-year-old substitute on the 82-minute mark scored an absolute rocket of a winner for his ‘Reds’, making the scoreline 2-1 in their favour. Both the hosts and the visitors had worthy claims of earning all three-points from this match, so Carl Veart would have been very happy that his side took home the goodies. With Adelaide in 4th there isn’t a whole heap of pressure on them to win this game, however it is a very different story for Western United who in 11th place have won just 4/15 matches so far this campaign.
This match really will depend on the play of Jamie Young versus Joe Gauci. The old versus the new. The 37-year-old up against the 22-year-old Goal Keeper. The ex-A-League All-Star competing against the current Australia U23s international. Both Men have been absolutely heroic in goals for their sides this season. To Young’s credit he is copping shots left, right and centre this campaign, but has still managed to keep three clean seats. Whilst we already know how much he meant to Western United last round! As for Gauci he too has kept three clean sheets for the campaign and has rapidly improved his game from when he was previously with Melbourne City just a few years ago, back in 2020. He’s averaging an impressive 3.87 saves per game this campaign in what has been an over performing Adelaide side. Both players despite their significant age difference have positioned their bodies smartly this season, which has made whoever is attacking them suffer woefully. Young probably has a slightly tougher task at hand than that of Gauci, but both competitors will no doubt be crucial to their teams hopes of winning this tasty encounter.
Betting tips: Back this encounter to produce over 2.5 strikes at $1.66 (Bet365)
While you can also look for Adelaide to score first at $2.05 (TexBet)
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Western Sydney Wanderers v Sydney FC7:45pm AEDT, CommBank Stadium |
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The searing heat did not do the Wanderers many favours in their 1-0 win against Western United in Parramatta. However as scrappy and as unconvincing as it was at times that simply did not matter, as they currently occupy 2nd-spot on the ladder with six wins from 15 games on the campaign. Yani N’Gbakoto was the games sole goal scorer as he produced his fourth strike of the season with his lethal right-footed effort. His unleashing of the ball left Jamie Young stranded and unable to do much as the ball made its way into the back of the net making it bulge. Meanwhile for the ‘Sky Blues’ veteran Defender Ryan Grant will miss the Sydney Derby after he picked up a silly red in the 19th-minute of his sides 3-2 victory against the Mariners. It was a game of pure and utter chaos as just six-minutes later Brian Kaltack saw red for the Central Coast too after his questionable foul on a quickly gaining speed and galloping ahead Max Burgess. And despite Jason Cummings scoring twice, Adam Le Fondre matched that to boot. Whilst Joe Lolley scored a beautiful goal, the clubs 750th in total, as the ‘Sky Blues’ ultimately came away with an up and down roller coaster triumph. A triumph that currently has them holding onto a finals spot. Sydney Derbies are always intense and this one will mean more than most! This should prove to be both a fiery and a good, good matchup!
The ‘Red & Black’ have lost just one match all season long at their newly renowned fortress of CommBank Stadium this campaign. And it has been a particularly stingy defence under Marko Rudan that has gotten them there. As in seven games played there, they’ve given up just five strikes. A prime example of this was last Sunday afternoon, where despite the ridiculous conditions, they still managed to heap the pressure on Western United at every available turn. They did so an incredible amount to the point that John Aloisi’s reigning champions managed to muster up just three shots on target from only eight attempts the entire match. Whilst at CommBank prior to that it was the other way round, the Wanderers were constantly smashed against a brick wall yet they never wavered in what was a tightly contested 1-1 draw against Melbourne City. They held firm despite having 31 shots attempted against them and also with the Wanderers themselves only having 34% possession of the ball throughout the affair. Adam Le Fondre, Joe Lolley, Max Burgess & Co will have to work extra hard in this special edition of the Sydney Derby if they wish to take anything out of it.
Betting tip: Bet on both teams to score 1+ goals each at $1.70 (BoomBet)
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Perth Glory v Melbourne City10:30pm AEDT, Macedonia Park |
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Mark Beevers fine strike in the 79th-minute for Perth at home should’ve been enough for them to claim all three-points last round. Unfortunately for them however Archie Goodwin’s 88th-minute belter meant that the spoils were shared at Macedonia Park, a boutique home venue where the Glory have yet to lose at all season long. The end result being a 2-2 draw versus the ‘Box Office’ Jets. The Glory to their credit shot 7/15 on target, despite only owning 42% possession of the ball throughout the match. Whilst they also thoroughly ousted Newcastle in some other areas as well, as they won 64 duels to their 51, alongside triumphing in 16 aerial duels to their six. Currently on the cusp of a finals berth in 7th-place and just four-points off 3rd, Ruben Zadkovich’s Men continue to do great things at this point in time. As for City they were ruthless last weekend as they smashed the ‘Bulls’ 6-1 at AAMI Park. Richard van der Venne got on the board a sensational three times, whilst Jamie Maclaren fashioned his 15th and 16th goals of the season. They shot 9/20 on target, as they also owned 65% possession of the ball! This was their ninth victory of the season from 14 games, as they moved seven-points clear of 2nd-spot with a game in hand. Both sides brilliant attacking instincts should make this matchup an extremely fun watch,
14 of these two sides last 17 matches in Western Australia have seen 2+ strikes produced on each and every occasion. As like I said, this should prove to be an extremely fun game to tune into! Because on one side you have the Glory, a team that isn’t afraid to strike fear into the hearts of their opponents with Adam Taggart, a Man who scored two goals on his return to Perth not that long ago and David Williams, a vibrant Attacker who has played in 189 A-League matches and has fashioned 44 goals over that period. He’s been a staple of Australian Football for so long that he played for City when they used to be the Heart + he represented the North Queensland Fury too! And then for City there’s Jamie Maclaren who leads the goal scoring charts this season, alongside the ever influential double trouble combination of Matthew Leckie and Marco Tilio who also have three goals a piece this campaign. And it continues to largely untouched but the Glory have four wins + three draws from seven appearances at home this season. Playing at what should be a packed out Macedonia Park, this game will present a legitimate challenge to newly signed up City head coach Rado Vidosic and his team. Goals galore perhaps? (Insert winky face emoji here).
Betting tips: Look for a Melbourne City dub at $1.70 (BoomBet)
Also look for Jamie Maclaren & Andrew Nabbout to each score at any time at $1.85 and $2.55 (TexBet)
Sunday, February 12
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Newcastle Jets v Melbourne Victory3:00pm AEDT, McDonald Jones Stadium |
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At Macedonia Park last round the Jets looked down and out after Mark Beever’s 79th-minute goal had handed the hosts a seemingly unassailable 2-1 lead. However in the 88th-minute it was ‘Newy’ local Archie Goodwin who came to the rescue as his bullet header blasted past Cameron Cook and into the back of the net. This was a massive confidence booster for the 18-year-old Forward with it having been just his second goal of the season, whilst it also secured a crucial point for Newcastle. In 8th-spot at the moment Arthur Papas’s troops showed some glimpses of their full potential. This as they owned and dominated with 58% possession of the ball throughout the game, that alongside their 4/16 shooting as they peppered away at the Glory’s goals constantly. For the Victory meanwhile they might occupy 12th-place currently, but they collected a much-needed win on Friday night as they battered and bruised the Phoenix to the tune of a 3-1 win at AAMI Park. Despite conceding the matchups opening goal only 13-minutes in, Melbourne seemingly went full throttle after that as all of Bruno Fornaroli (32nd-minute), Jake Brimmer (54th-minute) and Tomi Juric (91st-minute) got on the score sheet. Given everything that Melbourne has had to cop this season, this dub really was for their loyal supporters. And now with the two sides pitted against one another, each will fancy themselves as earning a bit of a boost up the standings in a clash that surely won’t disappoint.
The Victory showed that they still have a hell of a lot of fight left in them this season if their commanding result against the Phoenix is anything to go by! Because make no mistake they battered Ufuk Talay’s Men from pillar to pillar! And with the recent signings of Connor Chapman, Damien De Silva and Bruce Kamau announced, the squad will surely not only be buoyed by their arrivals, but will fight for their places in the team, making it a more intense training environment, which in turn can only improve Melbourne themselves. Kamau in particular is a special singing, With the former Wanderers, City and ‘Reds’ Winger impressing during his time in Australia. Despite Western Sydney suffering largely poor results during his stay there, he was still incredibly influential, whilst we all saw his raw potential when competing for the Victory’s biggest rivals! He has the amazing potential to combine extremely well with the likes of Bruno Fornaroli and Jake Brimmer, even if he only makes a cameo appearance against the Jets. I’d pick a fighting Victory win here, but that’s just my prediction.
Betting tips: Look for the Victory to win at $2.34 (BoomBet)
Also look for them to open the scoring at $1.90 (TexBet)
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Macarthur FC v Wellington Phoenix5:00pm AEDT, Campbelltown Stadium |
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Macarthur were humbled 6-1 by Melbourne City at AAMI Park last round. That while Wellington also copped a reality check at the exact same venue just two days prior, as they went down 3-1 to the Victory. The ‘Bulls’ looked like they were ‘hunted’ down in their pathetic display, as Nick Suman was a dreadful replacement for Filip Kurto. One particular opposition strike saw him seemingly just give up on defending during the play. The ‘Nix’s’ loss stung quite heavily as well, as despite having 60% ownage of the ball throughout the game and taking 12 shots, they landed just three on target. Ufuk Talay’s men post their and the games opening goal through Oskar Zawada (his 8th of the season on the 13-minute mark) were largely insipid and uninspiring. Macarthur need to a win ASAP to officially begin the post Dwight Yorke-era. Whilst Wellington are only three-points ahead of the ‘Bulls’, 5th versus 9th-place. Such is the tightness of this seasons competition is that both sides would no doubt love to end the full-time siren with a victory here. And with both teams stuck in a bit of a rut, now would undoubtedly appear to be the perfect time to do so.
The ‘Bulls’ have lost all their power lately as they appear to take missteps every week which sink the club further and further into a horrible rut. And while the Phoenix themselves are still holding onto a finals berth, a few more undesirable losses and they’ll be right there fighting to avoid finishing last. At Campbelltown Stadium this season Macarthur have won just 3/7 games, that despite them winning the Australia Cup earlier on in the campaign. They haven’t really performed all that well and unfortunately for them their crowd numbers have been somewhat indicative of that. However the ‘Nix’ have won just two of six away from home this season, so with a bright start Macarthur could at the very least bundle away all of their issues for one week. Despite drawing in their latest home clash, the ‘Bulls’ still led Western United 2-1 headed into the 89th-minute. While prior to that in Campbelltown, they shot 6/14 on target in what was a tight 2-1 loss to the Central Coast. They’ve shown glimpses of what they can do, but now they have to put it all together. And what better place to do so then in this game!
Betting tip: Look for this clash to be high scoring and have over 3.5 goals at $2.62 (Bet365)
Best Bets of the Round – Newcastle Jets vs Melbourne Victory
Look for the Victory to win at $2.34 (BoomBet)
Also look for them to open the scoring at $1.90 (TexBet)