The following are previews with betting tips for the Semi-finals Second Legs of the 2024/25 A-Leagues Mens season.
Compare A-League bookmaker odds
View the A-League form guide
View bookmaker football promotions (excludes NSW, SA & WA)
 |
Auckland FC vs Melbourne VictorySaturday May 24, 4:00pm Go Media Stadium |
 |
Auckland FC have one foot in the Grand Final after their narrow 1-0 defeat of the Melbourne Victory on Saturday night at AAMI Park. Despite the ‘Melbournians’ failing to land a single shot on target, they pushed the ‘Black Knights’ all the way in what was an incredulously tense encounter between two of the A-League’s heavyweights. However, all that separated the two rivals at the end of 90 + minutes and stoppage time was a hard-fought header to Logan Rogerson in the 64th minute. That being his ninth goal of the season, as the All Whites international eclipsed his previous record of best ever strikes in a single campaign (eight). With a record crowd expected to witness Rogerson and his fellow teammates in the second leg, the Victory will have to go all out in their hopes of advancing to an eighth Grand Final in the club’s history.
They’ve reached seven deciders and won four, so it’s safe to say that the visiting Victory won’t be overawed by the occasion that’s in front of them. If you can cast your mind back to last season, competing in Wellington against a history-making Phoenix side, Melbourne well and truly displayed their cojones as Adama Traore scored in the 81st minute, before Chris Ikonimidis landed the lethal blow in the 102nd minute to help them take out the two-legged semi-final series in dramatic fashion. As well as that, Arthur Diles’s troops have also won their last three straight away games, conjuring up eight strikes in the process. Melbourne certainly won’t die wondering here!
Melbourne have experience but that only counts for so much. Being kept to zero shots on target in a first-ever semi-final is as cold as it gets from the ‘Black Knights’. As if that wasn’t enough, they are also undefeated in their last eight straight encounters at Go Media Stadium. The Victory no doubt will pack a punch or two against Auckland and should still keep on fighting, but at some point, they won’t get back up. Auckland should advance from here on in to the ‘Big Dance’.
Betting tips: Choose Auckland to win at $2.10 (Bet365)
Also choose Auckland to source the games last goal at $1.78 (Dabble)
And you can also back Guillermo May and/or Max Mata to score anytime at $1.65 and $1.75 respectively (Bet365)
 |
Melbourne City vs Western UnitedSaturday May 24, 7:35pm AAMI Park |
 |
Yonatan Cohen take a bow. The Israeli international put up arguably his best shift in a City jersey to date, as his side annihilated the ‘Green & Black’ 3-0 to all but book their spot in the next round. He locked in his fifth goal and third assist of the campaign as Melbourne rain absolute riot at AAMI Park. They landed 4/13 attempts on target and garnered up three big chances on the evening. John Aloisi’s side on the other hand appeared flustered by the big occasion and were severely missing the impact of gun striker Noah Botic. The ‘hosts’ also completed just 48% of their tackles (10/21) and 36% of their crosses (5/14) as they were all over the shop. Now they have no option but to attack, attack, attack to have any possible chance of the expansion franchise securing their second-ever championship.
Melbourne City have now won eight of their last nine games against Western United as the odds are well and truly stacked against Aloisi and his sides fairytale season. However, this is the A-League where every other day is as bonkers and as crazy as any other professional Footballing league in the world. It wasn’t that long ago in the 2021/22 season that against all odds Western defeated Melbourne 2-0 in the Grand Final at AAMI Park. They finished 3rd that season, just like they did in this one as well. The ‘Green & Black’ have also scored 16 goals over the course of their last six away games, so you just never know what could happen!
Western going down 3-0 was just the second time over the course of their last 35 games that they’ve been battered like that, which just goes to show you how well City performed on the day. That won’t happen again. With nothing to lose the ‘Green & Black’ should be able to display why they’ve been a threat all season long. In particular Hiroshi Ibusuki needs to step up to the plate big time. He’s scored 40 goals on Australian soil and in the absence of Botic, he’s needed now more than ever. He’s not a particularly fast-moving striker. But if he can get some decent service, he can certainly bring this semi-final series back from the dead and make City a little bit pale at least.
Betting tips: Pick Western to collect the win at $3.90 (Bet365)
Also pick both sides to find the back of the net at $1.57 (Bet365)
And back over 0.5 goals to be scored in H1 at $1.28 and Western to score first at $2.50 (Bet365)