A-Leagues Mens Round 23 – Selected Previews & Betting Tips

The following are previews with betting tips for selected fixtures in Round 23 of the 2024/25 A-Leagues Mens season.

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Adelaide United vs Macarthur FC Friday March 14, 7:35pm Coopers Stadium

A win for the ‘Reds’ at home on Friday night could potentially propel them as high as 2nd on the ladder, whilst a victory for the ‘Bulls’ is almost a necessity at this late juncture of the season in order for them to stay within touching distance of the Top Six. When you combine what they are playing for, alongside the fact that 60% of their last 10 clashes dating back to 2021 have produced 3+ goals, then chaos will almost undoubtedly reveal itself right here.

Macarthur have lost their last three straight away games on the trot. Most recently they went down to City 2-0 at AAMI Park and prior to that it was a 2-1 loss to the Wanderers at CommBank Stadium. Before that they suffered a tight 2-1 loss to Auckland in Auckland. However before the rot started they had won four straight away games. So depending on which version of the ‘Bulls’ turn up against United, they’ll definitely be within a chance of claiming a massive scalp. During their most recent loss to Melbourne, a huge contributing factor to it was that they landed just 2/4 shots on target throughout the match. As per Flashscore, Chris Ikonimidis up front ranked just 5.7, whilst Marin Jakolis was a 5.9. The 29 and 28-year-old respectively are some of the more experienced players within the club and at such an important juncture of their season, need to be doing a lot, lot better. Despite the ‘Reds’ position this season, they have shown small cracks here and there, partially due to their youth setup. If Ikonimidis and Jakolis can expose those, then Macarthur might just be within a shot.

Betting tips: Look for this game to produce Adelaide as last goal scorers at $1.55 (Dabble)

Also look for Adelaide to open the scoring as well at $1.44 (Bet365)

And pick both H1 & H2 to witness strikes within them at $1.30 (Bet365)

 

Western Sydney Wanderers vs Melbourne Victory Saturday March 15, 7:30pm CommBank Stadium

Currently Western Sydney are clinging onto a finals spot, as are Melbourne. The hosts are just two-points away from dropping out and their arch-rivals four. These two fallen giants of the A-League are attempting to redeem themselves in the best way possible. The ‘Red & Black’ have four wins + a draw to show from their last five outings. Whilst for the ‘Vuck’ they have won four of their last seven, with two stalemates sandwiched in between there as well. Neither side will go down without a fight, as this clash has all the makings of one that will go right down to the wire.

The last time these two teams faced off it was Ryan Teague who earned the home side a point with his calmly taken 87th minute penalty, in what was a 2-2 draw. Prior to that the ‘Red & Black’ had Oscar Pressman to thank for his strong rebound effort in the 87th minute at AAMI Park, a sensational effort that earned his team a wild 4-3 win. Before that matchup occurred it was the Victory whom ended up as 4-3 victors at Parramatta. They were leading 4-1 headed into the 88th minute before Marcus Antonsson and Valentino Yuel scored late strikes that almost delivered pandemonium across CommBank Stadium. And yep you guessed it, even prior to that the Wanderers came away with a 2-1 win at home thanks to Amor Layouni’s late 81st minute winner. There is never a dull moment between these two sides, as late drama is almost attached to both of them at the hips whenever they face off. Picking who will triumph is incredibly difficult, however I can express with the utmost certainty that this is a game you won’t want to miss.

Betting tips: Look for a tight Western Sydney win at $2.60 (UniBet)

Also look for the games first goal to belong to them at $2.00 (Bet365)

And back Brandon Borrello to get on the scoresheet anytime at $2.88 (Bet365)

 

Auckland FC vs Central Coast Mariners Sunday March 16, 3:00pm Go Media Stadium

The ‘Black Knights’ are currently in 1st on 41-points this season, a massive 20 ahead of the Mariners. Steve Corica’s Men are unbeaten in their last seven straight and have conjured up 11 goals over the course of their last three games. For the ‘Yellow Army’ in comparison they have scored just one paltry strike over their last three matchups and have conceded a whooping 10 goals in reply. Last round at AAMI Park alone they had just one shot versus the Victory throughout the entire encounter. Given that in the only previous affair between these two franchises it was Auckland who prevailed 4-1 in Gosford, a similar, if not bigger thrashing is on the cards right here.

The Central Coast have alarmingly leaked 19 goals over the course of their last eight games. In their 3-0 defeat against Melbourne they allowed last seasons Grand Finalists to go off for 9/24 shooting against them. Whilst the round prior in an away 3-1 defeat to Western United, the hosts damaged them severely as they went a near perfect 10/16 on target. This has regrettably been a common theme for the Mariners this season with a young defence backing them up + experienced Vanuatu Defender Brian Kaltak has had an obvious regression as a player. This doesn’t bode well against the A-League’s leaders who just two weeks ago scored four goals away against Adelaide and prior to that put six past Wellington in the New Zealand Derby. In all honesty if the away team can keep the deficit to 2-3 goals, then they’ll have at the very least done an okay job of shutting down Auckland.

Betting tips: Pick Auckland to win comfortably at $1.44 (Bet365)

Also pick there to be over 3.5 goals at $2.37 (Bet365)

And look for Guillermo May to score anytime at $2.10 (Bet365)