The Hyundai A-league season continues over the weekend, as the celebrations will begin as we enter the New Year. The Wanderers are sitting on the top of the ladder whilst the Mariners have fallen seven points off the pace in bottom place. Continue reading for our 2015-16 A-league Round 13 Preview and Betting Tips.
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Central Coast Mariners vs Wellington Phoenix (Thursday 7pm AEDT)
The Wellington Phoenix will travel to the Central Coast on the back of a disappointing loss to Adelaide last week. They fell 3-0 and were never in the contest and the loss has put their top six position under a lot of pressure. However, the side will be confident they will get a victory against the mariners who they have not lost to in their last six matches, which includes three victories.
The Mariners conceded 4 goals against Sydney FC as their defence continues to be in shambles. They are stranded on the bottom of the ladder and despite only being halfway through the season it looks as if it is a foregone conclusion that they will pick up the wooden spoon.
TIP: Phoenix @ $2.38 with Palmerbet
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Adelaide United (Friday 7.40pm AEDT)
After an awful start to the season, Adelaide United have been able to string four matches together without a loss whilst picking up the maximum points on three occasions. This strong run of form seems to have revived their season as they are now within striking distance of the top six. They have taken the monkey off their back as they are now scoring goals whilst their defence has improved drastically.
However, it will be a tough ask for the side to head to Western Sydney to take on the Wanderers. Their unbeaten stretch has reached nine games which includes eight victories. The Wanderers also have a strong record against the Reds at home as they are undefeated on home soil and won three of the four matches. Keeping this in mind, we will be taking them to win.
TIP: Wanderers @ $1.88 with Crownbet
Brisbane Roar vs Perth Glory (Saturday 5.15pm AEDT)
The Glory are undefeated in their past four matches as they have revived their season. This stretch includes impressive results against the Wanderers and Victory. The Glory have been able to hold their own as they show a lot of improvement, however they will face their biggest challenge as they travel to Brisbane to take on the second placed Roar.
Brisbane picked up arguably their biggest win of the season, as they were able to shut down Aaron Mooy and Melbourne City. Their goal scoring prowess returned whilst they are beginning to make Suncorp Stadium a fortress as they are undefeated at the venue in their past six matches. Despite the Glory continuing to develop throughout the season, the Roar will be far too strong on home soil as they pick up the victory.
TIP: HT/FT – Roar/Roar @ $2.30 with Sportsbet
Melbourne City vs Sydney FC (Saturday 7.30pm AEDT)
In the biggest match of the round, third placed Melbourne City will play host to the fourth placed Sydney FC with both teams equal on 20 competition points. City’s stronger for and against has them in the lead at this stage and a win for either club is vital to keep in touch with the Wanderers and the Roar in front of them.
City were disappointing against the Roar as they were found vulnerable at the back as they continued to push forward with their normal attacking nature. This had worked wonders for the side in the previous four weeks as they picked up massive victories, however the Roar were too strong at home and were able to penetrate their defence on the break.
Meanwhile Sydney FC picked up their biggest win of the year albeit against the bottom placed Central Coast Mariners. The four goals scored in the match will do a lot for the confidence of the side and we can see this one being a very even match that will end in the same nature as the earlier clash between these sides this year – with both sides splitting the points.
TIP: Draw @ $3.50 with WilliamHill
Newcastle Jets vs Melbourne Victory (Sunday 5pm AEDT)
These two sides have stumbled as of late and as a result they have fallen down the ladder. The Victory had the stronger start and as the defending champions have a lot more expected of them, meanwhile the Jets had impressed a lot of critics that expected them to be fighting it out to avoid the wooden spoon.
This is the second meeting with the first ending in a 1-0 victory for the Jets at Hunter stadium courtesy of a screamer from David Carney. However, the Jets have failed to find the back of the net in their last four matches and it will be hard for them to keep a clean sheet against a Victory side that will be desperate for the three points to kick their season back into gear. Despite the strong record the Jets hold against the Victory, we will be backing the away side to pick up the win in this one.
TIP: Victory @ $1.70 with Sportsbet
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!
