The 2015-16 A-League season continues this weekend with Brisbane Roar leading the way into Round 20 and the top six is heating up with just 10 competition points separating the top seven sides. Continue reading for our A-league Round 20 Preview and Betting Tips.
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Melbourne Victory vs Adelaide United (Friday 7.40pm AEDT)
The Melbourne Derby was surrounded by controversy last week as the ball crossed the goal line from a Melbourne Victory free kick but bounced back out as the referee missed it and made the wrong decision. Luckily for our Sportsbet punters the bookmaker gave out a justice pay out for single bets placed on the Victory to win.
Victory were able to claw their way back into the match on two occasions which shows great character from the defending champions. They were able to create a lot of chances, however the majority of their shots were taken from outside the box with a low percentage chance of finding the back of the net. They will need to work harder on home soil this week as they take on the in form Adelaide United side.
The Reds have flown into third spot on the ladder, as they have now been undefeated since Round 8 when they suffered their last loss in the A-league against this weekend’s opponent. Bruce Kamau has proved a constant threat every weekend and he was constantly causing havoc against the Mariners defence. We are expecting the Reds to continue their unbeaten stretch but for this one to end in a draw with the defending champions lifting their game to earn a draw on home soil.
TIP: Draw @ $3.60 with Sportsbet
Newcastle Jets vs Wellington Phoenix (Saturday 5.15pm AEDT)
The Jets have strung two strong matches together for the first time since the first half of the season. They were able to hold the ladder leaders to a draw away from home but it took a lot of luck as the Roar constantly blew a lot of chances.
Meanwhile the Phoenix caused the shock of the round as they snapped a losing streak to score a huge win against the Wanderers away from home. Blake Powell was the hero has he put four past Andrew Redmayne including a first half hatrick with all four of his goals being high class.
These two sides met earlier this year with the Jets winning in comfortable fashion 3-1, however with the Phoenix back to winning ways we are expecting a much closer match in this one with both sides splitting the points.
TIP: Draw @ $3.50 with Crownbet
Sydney FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers (Saturday 7.30pm AEDT)
The final instalment of the Sydney derby for the 2015-16 A-league regular season has both sides desperate for a victory after suffering losses in their last outings. The Sky Blues are in a worse position having picked up just the single point in their last four matches and are in danger of falling out of a finals position after suffering a loss to the seventh placed Perth Glory last week. Their lack of goal scoring fire power has been their biggest issue all season and despite the Wanderers allowing five goals last week it took superb efforts from Blake Powell to find the back of the net and their was no much their defence of Andrew Redmayne could do about it which suggests the Sky Blues won’t find it easy to score this weekend.
The Wanderers came out on Sunday expecting to win the three points easily and they were stunned when they fell behind early and weren’t able to regroup. This weekend they will be switched on after already suffering two losses this season to Sydney FC and despite dominating their last meeting they were unable to find a winner. The Wanderers will bounce back this weekend and keep their spot in the top two of the table.
TIP: Wanderers @ $2.50 with Palmerbet
Perth Glory vs Brisbane Roar (Saturday 9.40pm AEDT)
This could be one of the match ups of the round with the Glory heading into this match with four straight victories. Their goal scoring has dropped in recent weeks but their defence has improved allowing just the one goal in two matches.
The Roar are undefeated in their past three matches and will be disappointed they were only able to manage a point against the Jets last week. They picked up two huge victories in the two previous weeks against the Mariners and Sky Blues that has them sitting on the top of the table. We are expecting a high scoring match between these two sides, as they are both potent in attack. However, the home side hasn’t been able to earn a victory against their opponent in their last four meetings and they have just one win in their past 10. We are expecting this trend to continue as the Roar will leave Perth with a point.
TIP: Draw @ $3.50 with William Hill
Melbourne City vs Central Coast Mariners (Sunday 5pm AEDT)
The Mariners took a 1-0 lead into halftime last week against the Reds but it was their defence again that let them down as their inability to keep a clean sheet continues to haunt them. Their defence has allowed 45 goals and they have the worst goal differential in the league.
The last time these two teams met City thrashed the Mariners 5-1 and in the match before it was City who came out on top again 3-1. The score line could have been a lot worse for the Mariners and despite the form slump City has entered we can expect a similar score this weekend.
TIP: City -1.0 @ $2.10 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!
