The 2015-16 Hyundai A-League season is almost upon us and Melbourne Victory will kick off the defence of their title on Friday night against Adelaide United. We will have soccer betting tips every week, starting with our A-League Round 1 Preview & Betting Tips.
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Western Sydney Wanderers vs Brisbane Roar (Thursday 8pm AEST)
The Wanderers are coming off their most disappointing season in their short history and they will enter their fourth year with a totally revamped squad. A lot of the heroes from their earlier years have left and a total of 10 new players have arrived. It could take them a while to gel, however they have shown promising signs during the preseason. There will be a lot of pressure on Federico Piovacciri to score goals up front as they only managed 29 goals from 27 matches last year.
The Roar are in their darkest days in the A-League and after ending the majority of seasons near the top of the table will struggle this season. They have recruited the least amount of players of any team and their roster is definitely on the older side. Jamie Maclaren from Perth Glory is their biggest in as he will provide the side with much needed pace upfront but if the players behind him can’t create solid opportunities for him they will struggle to find the back of the net.
TIP: Wanderers HT/FT Double @ $3.80 with Palmerbet
Adelaide United vs Melbourne Victory (Friday 7.40pm AEST)
The defending champions kick off their campaign against a side they haven’t lost to in their last six a-league matches. Half of those matches ended in draws, however it also includes a 3-0 drubbing. The two sides met in the FFA Cup three weeks ago and it was Victory who got the win 3-1 at home. The Victory were dominant from the outset and their attack was clearly too potent for the Reds to handle.
The Reds have signed the big Eli Babalj to add an attacking presence up front and his height could become a real advantage. He will also put pressure on Bruce Djite to perform and friendly competition to play at your best is always good for a side.
However, the Victory’s side, depth and quality should allow them to get off to their title defence in style with an away victory.
TIP: Victory @ $2.60 with Sportsbet
Central Coast Mariners vs Perth Glory (Saturday 5.15pm AEST)
These two sides will likely be fighting to stay away from the bottom of the ladder and it is unlikely for them to reach the finals series. The Mariners have struggled since the departure of coach Graham Arnold and they have lost the majority of their quality players that saw them be one of the dominant sides of the competition for three years. Last season they struggled in front of goal and they scored the second lowest amount of goals in the A-league. They will be relying on youngster Daniel Heffernan and Roy O’Donovan to find the back of the net but with both players making their A-league debuts it could take them a while to get used to the style of play.
Perth Glory had to have a clear out after the salary cap scandal saw them lose their position in last years finals series. 11 players in total were shown the door including their most quality players in Danny Vukovic, Scott Jamieson, Rostyn Griffiths and Andy Keogh.
The long trip for Perth will an affect on them and as they should take some time to gel I am expecting these two sides to play out a low scoring draw.
TIP: Draw @ $3.15 with Crownbet
Sydney FC vs Melbourne City (Saturday 7.30pm AEST)
There have been a lot of expectations placed on the Melbourne City side this year after an offseason of tremendous recruitment. They have brought in nine quality players and they are highlighted by the two Socceroos Ivan Franjic and Michael Zullo who will lock up City’s defence that has been a massive problem area for them over the years. They have also managed to hold onto Socceroo Aaron Mooy and Harry Novilo, which means they have all the pieces and will just need to perform on the paddock.
Sydney FC will want to bounce back this season after suffering a humiliating defeat on Grand Final day at the end of last year. The Sky Blues have also recruited well and managed to hold onto some of their best players. This should definitely be the best match of the weekend and I am backing City to come away with an important away victory.
TIP: City @ $3.00 with WilliamHill
Wellington Phoenix vs Newcastle Jets (Sunday 5pm AEST)
The Phoenix haven’t had too much change to their squad over the offseason except for one important piece. They lost Socceroo and leading goal scorer of the competition last season Nathan Burns. They will need to find those goals from a different source this season if they are going to have the same success as last year.
The Newcastle Jets are another side that has a total clean out of players and brought in essentially a new squad. Letting go of 12 players and bringing in 10 will mean the side will take some time to gel and learn how to player with each other. The long trip to Phoenix won’t be easy for the Jets and I expect them to lose this one.
TIP: Phoenix @ $1.80 with 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!
