Sydney FC ended their campaign with another win to make it a ridiculous 20-6-1 record and finish first on the A-League table. They, along with Melbourne Victory, will get the week off this weekend as the remaining four teams do battle in the first elimination games. We preview both games and give our tips below.
A-League Round Elimination Finals Betting Tips
Brisbane Roar vs Western Sydney Wanderers (7.50pm AEST)
Two teams who are still entrenched in the AFC Champions League will do battle in the first elimination final on Friday night. Brisbane narrowly clinched the 3rd seed over Melbourne City and will therefore get to host Perth Glory at Suncorp Stadium. The two teams are both coming off a win last weekend and both have 4-3-3 records over their last ten games. They have both also been fairly poor in their Champions League campaigns to date, with just one win each from their four games.
The home team is undefeated through the two teams last six matchups, while only 4 of their last 13 matchups have produced over three goals. The Wanderers have been masters of the low scoring draw this year, their 12 draws is 3 more than any other team in the competition.
Extremely tough game to pick here, Brisbane finished the regular season 6 points clear of the Wanderers but it has been Western Sydney that have arguably been the form side in the back half of the season. Brisbane secured a great home victory over Japanese side Kashima Antlers just last week which gives me a lot of confidence in them at Suncorp Stadium. At $2.10, I like the home side here.
TIP: Brisbane Roar to win - $2.10 at Sportsbet
Melbourne City vs Perth Glory
These two teams met in the last round of the regular season with Perth securing a win in a high scoring 5-4 game. That game was out West at NIB Stadium, but on Saturday night they’ll meet at AAMI Stadium to try to book a ticket to the prelims against either Sydney of Melbourne Victory. If the Roar win the other elimination final then the winner of this will go on to play Sydney FC, but if the Wanderers win, they will play the Victory. It seems complicated, but all you need to know is that Sydney FC get the lower ranked team to come out of the elimination finals. All it means is that these two teams will probably be hoping that Western Sydney can upset Brisbane so they can avoid Sydney for another week.
There’s no loss of attacking prowess when these two teams come into contact. 8 of their last 9 meetings have produced over three goals with Melbourne City winning just 2 of their last 9 matchups. Tim Cahill has hit form at the right time of the year, with 3 goals in his last 2 games while striking partner Bruno Fornaroli is always dangerous. For Perth, it’ll be veteran striker Andy Keogh and young partner Adam Taggart who Glory fans will be hoping are on the top of their games. The two have scored 21 goals between them on the season so far while midfielder Chris Harold is one of the top assist men in the league.
Another tough game to pick here. We won’t read too much into the goal-fest that was last weekend’s game. Although both teams had a bit to play for in terms of ladder positioning, they were going balls to the wall late with nothing to lose, this game should be played a bit more conservatively. Melbourne City showed they have the grit to play in big games when they won the FFA Cup in a 1-0 tug’o’war with Sydney FC earlier in the season, I’m picking their experience to win out here.
TIP: Melbourne City to win - $1.90 at Ladbrokes
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
