The 2016-17 A-league season continues this weekend with the dominance of Sydney FC beginning to fade. Continue reading for our A-league Round 9 Preview and Betting Tips.
Melbourne Victory vs Perth Glory (Friday 7.50pm AEDT)
The resurgence of Melbourne Victory continued on the weekend as they put together a solid performance to dismantle the Newcastle Jets 2-0. They kept a clean sheet which is a huge positive for the side that has had its defensive issues this weekend. The side has now crept into third spot on the ladder and they have a game in hand. The side is beginning to gel and play at the level that had them favourites for the premiership at the start of the season.
Meanwhile, the Glory lived up to their recent standards of being inconsistent last weekend as they failed to get the job done against the Mariners. The Central Coast side outclassed them and they weren’t able to create any opportunities that ended in the ball hitting the back of the net. The Glory still do have one of the best attacks in the league and we don’t think they will be kept scoreless two weeks in a row, however the Victory will be too strong in front of their home fans.
TIP: HT/FT – Victory/Victory - $2.30 at CrownBet
Central Coast Mariners vs Western Sydney Wanderers (Saturday 5.35pm AEDT)
These two sides met a month ago and if this match plays out similar to the last one, then don’t bother watching! However, the Mariners grabbed their second win of the season last week and remarkably they find themselves in the top six, which is a finals spot. We aren’t getting too carried away as there is still a lot of areas where the side needs to improve if they are going to be serious about reaching the knockout stages of the competition. It is still great to see progress from the young side and not suffering embarrassing losses. It was also the first time in almost a year the side won on home soil.
The Wanderers have drawn four of their last five matches and have just the one win to their name this season. We are predicting the side to continue its struggles with combinations and especially at the back where they have conceded the second most goals of any side in the league. The Mariners will be buzzing after their second win of the year and we believe they will put together another strong showing. It won’t be enough for them to earn back-to-back wins though as these two sides will split the points.
TIP: Draw - $3.50 at Sportsbet
Melbourne City vs Brisbane Roar (Saturday 7.50pm AEDT)
The Roar will head into this match in fourth position on the ladder but they will be full of confidence despite being on the road. City will be having to play just three days after a grueling encounter with Sydney FC in the FFA Cup final. Regardless of the result, the City side will have a lot taken out of them as they will either be on a high from winning or down in the dumps due to a loss.
The Roar are as inconsistent as they Glory and a team that is hard to judge. They have a lot of creative and attacking players in their line up including Jamie Maclaren who was scoring goals at will last year. However, they have found the back of the net just eight times this season. Their defence has kept them in contests and they will need it to be strong this weekend against a great attacking side. We are predicting these two sides to play out an exciting match but due to City having to back up, the Roar will come out victorious.
TIP: Roar - $3.80 at Ladbrokes
Newcastle Jets vs Sydney FC (Sunday 5pm AEDT)
Sydney FC have fallen from the stars in the last two weeks as they have had back-to-back draws. These aren’t terrible results but it was against sides they were expected to win and if their early season form was anything to go off they should have earned the maximum competition points. However, luckily for them they will be playing against a side they have had a lot of success against over the years and we are expecting the side to continue that this weekend. The Sky Blues are one of the best teams in the competition and are coached by arguably the best in Graham Arnold. Their structure will return and they will be hard to score against while the Jets are beginning to struggle. They didn’t scare the Victory on the weekend and they won’t be able to break the defence of the Sky Blues.
TIP: HT/FT – Sydney/Sydney - $2.75 at William Hill
Adelaide United vs Wellington Phoenix (Sunday 7pm AEDT)
The Reds are still searching for their first victory of the season and they won’t get a better chance as they face off against the Phoenix on home soil. These two sides are on the bottom positions of the ladder and we are predicting this to be a slug fest as each team will be desperate for the three competition points.
Wellington were meant to have one of the most dangerous attacks in the league this season and they definitely state a claim for that when you look at the side on paper. However, that hasn’t resulted into any success on the field as they have scored the least amount of goals of any side in the league.
Meanwhile Adelaide aren’t much better in front of goal registering just one goal more than their opponents. We are predicting them to continue to struggle as the Phoenix will earn the win.
TIP: Phoenix - $4.33 at 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!
