The 2017-18 A-League regular season is finished and the ten teams have now been whittled down to just six. Sydney FC and Newcastle will both earn automatic entry into the semi finals for finishing in first and second place respectively while the next four teams will battle it out in the elmination finals this weekend! We take a look at both games and give our best bets for the weekend below.
A-League Elimination Finals Betting Tips
Melbourne City vs Brisbane Roar (Friday 7.50pm AEST)
The first of the two elimination finals in Melbourne over the weekend sees Melbourne City hosting the Brisbane Roar on Friday night. Melbourne City had a good season, finishing with a 12-4-10 record in 2017-18 to stand third on the table. City really struggled to find target men throughout the season, finishing the year with their top two goal scorers on just five goals apiece.
The Brisbane Roar qualified for the finals in thrilling fashion, travelling to Perth and overcoming a one goal deficit to beat the Glory and sneak into sixth place. Outside of Sydney FC, Brisbane have arguably been the most in form team in the competition over the past few months, winning six of their last 10 games.
Can’t read absolutely anything from the recent history between these two clubs. Throughout their last 10 matchups, each team has three wins and there have been four draws. While Melbourne City have won in Brisbane, the Roar haven’t been able to capture a win in Melbourne throughout that 10-game stretch, and although they have won just four of their last 10 games, we think Melbourne City advance to the next round here given the home field advantage.
TIP: Melbourne City to win - $1.72 at Sportsbet
Melbourne Victory vs Adelaide United (Sunday 6pm AEST)
AAMI Park will host it’s second elimination final on Sunday evening as the Victory take on Adelaide United from 6pm. Melbourne had an ordinary finish to the season, going down to Sydney FC in the final round only a week after a 6-2 belting at the hands of Ulsan Hyundai in the AFC Champions League.
Adelaide United took matters into their own hands in the final round of the regular season defeating Western Sydney away from home to book a place in the finals. They have lost just three of their last 10 games and seem to have come good just at the right time of year. Like Melbourne City, however, they have really struggled finding goals as Ryan Kitto is their leading scorer with just 7.
Tough match to call here. Adelaide have definitely been in better form of late but Melbourne Victory always seem to show up in the finals regardless of their ladder positioning. Good value for Adelaide on the road so we are going to pick them with the double chance.
TIP: Adelaide United double chance - $1.72 at Sportsbet
