The 2016-17 A-league season continues this weekend and things are heating up in the middle of the table. The round is headlined by a massive Melbourne Derby on Saturday night, we've got you covered for that game, and the rest in our A-league Round 11 Preview and Betting Tips.
Newcastle Jets vs Adelaide United (Friday 7.50pm AEDT)
The weekend kicks off with an expected dull affair as the two struggling teams face off against each other. Adelaide United are stranded on the bottom of the table after they suffered their sixth defeat of the season. Their winning ways didn’t last long and they have just one victory to their name. Their defence hasn’t been strong while their attack has been worse. They struggle to create chances and this will be a problem on the road.
Meanwhile the Jets will enter this match on the back of a tough win on the road against the Glory. It is always a challenge to earn the three competition points in Perth and the side needs to receive credit for this achievement. They return to play on their home soil and we believe they will be able to earn back-to-back victories in this one.
TIP: Jets to win - $2.90 at CrownBet
Wellington Phoenix vs Western Sydney Wanderers (Saturday 5.35pm AEDT)
The Phoenix will enter this match full of confidence after a 3-0 win over the Mariners last week. The side will not have to travel as they are playing back-to-back games which is a huge positive for them. The side has struggled in front of goal this year and they could be finally about to live up to their potential and expectations that were placed on them at the beginning of the season to have one of the best attacking fronts in the game.
The Wanderers travel to Wellington on the complete opposite foot to the Phoenix. The Wanderers suffered an embarrasing 3-0 loss on their home soil against the Victory. The side has gone through a lot of changes over the past two years and it shows on the park as they lack combinations and consistency. The side will be down on confidence and while they will want to bounce back, we can’t see that happening on a tough road trip.
TIP: Phoenix to win - $2.75 at Ladbrokes
Melbourne City vs Melbourne Victory (Saturday 7.50pm AEDT)
Round 11 of the A-league will be highlighted by the blockbuster match up and second meeting of the two Melbourne clubs this season. The opening match up lived up to the expectations and it produced a wonder strike from Tim Cahill in the lead up to the 4-1 demolishing of Victory.
We aren’t expecting that scoreline this time around and in fact we are predicting the visitors to get one back on their crosstown rivals. The Victory are beginning to show the signs of the premiership favourites from preseason and their 3-0 win over the Wanderers last week is proof of that. The side has crept back up into the top 3 and sit just one competition point behind City. The Victory have scored 20 goals this season and are proving to be a hard team to defend against.
Meanwhile City are the side that is expected to have all the firepower. The two sides are strong defensively and have allowed on average a goal a match. It will be a tight contest but a late and dramatic goal will seal the three competition points for Melbourne Victory.
TIP: Victory to win - $2.75 at William Hill
Perth Glory vs Sydney FC (Saturday 10pm AEDT)
To round out an exciting Saturday night of A-league action, Perth Glory will host Sydney FC and hope to turn around their home fortunes. However, the Sky Blues will be having none of that and after three draws in their past four matches, they will be hoping to get back to a winning streak. The side is still undefeated this season which is quite a feat considering we are more than a third of the way through. They have the best defence in the league and have conceded just four goals. Their structure and style of play will prevent the Glory from creating many opportunities.
The Glory had a disappointing performance last week and have struggled to find consistency all season. In their meeting earlier this year, it was one way traffic with Sydney FC running away 4-1 victors. We don’t believe the match will be as one-sided, but it will nonetheless be the Sky Blues leaving Perth with smiles on their faces.
TIP: HT/FT – Sydney/Sydney – $3.20 at Sportsbet
Central Coast Mariners vs Brisbane Roar (Sunday 5pm AEDT)
The Mariners sufferd a 3-0 loss on the weekend and it was their second humiliation in a row. The inexperience of the side is beginning to show week in and week out and we believe this could be a trend that will continue. It is hard for a young side to continually put in at a high level when the results aren’t going your way and there is still a lot to learn for this side. If the Roar are able to get an early goal then this could turn into an ugly scoreline.
The Brisbane side are flying under the radar and are sitting in fourth position but five points clear of fifth. They have struggled for offence this year but they put that behind them on the weekend with their 4-0 win over Adelaide United. They created great opportunities throughout the match while they defended well. A penalty near injury time gave them the extra goal to increase their score line.
TIP: Roar to win - $1.67 at Sportsbet
