The final round of the 2016-17 A-League season is upon us and with some finals seedings still up for grabs, there’s still a lot to look forward to as we present our Preview & Betting Tips for Round 27 of the A-League Season.
A-League Round 27 Betting Tips
Melbourne Victory vs Central Coast Mariners (Friday, 7.50pm AEST)
The Central Coast Mariners will be fighting to avoid finishing on the bottom of the ladder when they travel to Melbourne to take on the Victory on Good Friday. The Mariners were able to claim a great 2-0 victory against the Jets to elevate themselves off the bottom last week, however, they sit just one point clear of both Adelaide and Newcastle going into the last game.
The lucky thing for them here is that the Victory will be firmly concentrating on next week already. Melbourne have been locked into 2nd place for what feels like the last 5 weeks now and their results have shown that they have been taking it fairly easy as they prepare for finals. They’ll most likely want to get some match fitness and form back into the legs here though, and at home they should be too much for the Mariners.
TIP: Melbourne Victory HT/FT - $1.83 at Sportsbet
Sydney FC vs Newcastle Jets (Saturday, 5.35pm AEST)
What a year it’s been for Sydney FC. It would be heartbreaking for the Sky Blues if they couldn’t come away from this season with a premiership, but they are odds on after one of the most dominant seasons we have seen in A-League history. They’ll wrap up their campaign against the Jets in Sydney on Saturday afternoon as the Jets look to climb out of the wooden spoon position.
Sydney have allowed just 12 goals on the season so far through 26 games while Newcastle’s 51 is tied for the most allowed in the league. You’d like to make a case for the Jets here based on them having nothing to lose and Sydney likely having one eye on finals next week, but Sydney have just been too good this year.
TIP: Sydney to win to nil - $2.40 at Sportsbet
Adelaide United vs Western Sydney Wanderers (Saturday, 7.50pm AEST)
Adelaide United will be the third team trying to avoid finishing last on the ladder in Round 27 as they face off against the Western Sydney Wanderers in Adelaide on Saturday night. The Reds claimed a great win over Jeju United to propel them back into contention in Group H of the Asian Champions League. Adelaide now sit 2nd in the group, ahead of Jeju on goal difference with a tough game against the undefeated Jiangsu Suning to come.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the Wanderers, who lost their home leg agasint FC Seoul after winning the away leg just a few weeks ago. Western Sydney are bottom of Group F, 6 points down with just 2 games to go. They have, however, locked themselves into the A-League finals and are in a battle with Perth Glory for the 5th seed. Four of the last six clashes between these two teams have ended in a draw, three of them scoreless. Adelaide should be throwing everything they have at this game though so we expect some goals to be scored either way. Western Sydney look to strong with more to play for.
TIP: Western Sydney Wanderers to win - $2.28 at Unibet
Brisbane Roar at Wellington Phoenix (Sunday, 5pm AEST)
A draw with Sydney FC last week dashed the Phoenix hopes of playing finals football this year. They now sit 5 points behind Western Sydney with just one game to go making the game against Brisbane on Sunday a dead rubber. The Phoenix have won in two of their last three trips to Brisbane, proving that the short flight across the ditch won’t phase them here.
The Roar are still in a tight battle for third spot on the A-League table, currently tied with Melbourne City on points, with City holding a one goal advantage on goal difference. The difference in spots will mean wither playing Western Sydney or Perth in the 1st round, but they will be definitely aiming for the higher seed to avoid playing Sydney FC for longer. Wellington have been a high scoring team all year but they have shown an ability to leak a lot of goals as well, we like Brisbane to win in a high scoring match here.
TIP: Total Goals OVER 3.5 - $2.20 at bet365
Perth Glory vs Melbourne City (Sunday, 7pm AEST)
The game of the round sees Melbourne city travelling to Perth to play the Glory on Sunday night. In the only game where both teams have something to play for, Perth and Melbourne City will be aiming for a win to improve their playoffs seedings. Melbourne City bounced back after a loss to Sydney FC two weeks ago with a great home win against Adelaide United last weekend. Tim Cahill found the back of the net for the 8th time this year as he began to look ominous heading into finals.
Perth also claimed a great win last weekend as they downed Brisbane 3-1 at home. We’ll likely have to wait until the games earlier in the round play out to get a read on how these two teams will be playing. If Brisbane lose/draw, Melbourne City will likely go into their shell here and play for a draw, same with Perth if WSW draw/lose. Too many variables here, happy to sit back and see how it plays out.
TIP: No Bet
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!
