A 92nd minute goal from Sydney FC’s Adam Le Fondre was the only thing stopping us from a perfect week of our 2018-19 A-League tips as we finished the round at 2-1. Despite the disappointment, we’ve regrouped and shifted our focus to the upcoming weekend of action, which promises to be a ripper!
Catch our preview and betting tips for the key matchups in Round 4 below!
A-League Round 4 Betting Tips
Melbourne City vs Wellington Phoenix (Friday 7.50pm AEDT)
Melbourne City come into this one on the back of a really disappointing 3-0 home loss to Sydney FC last Friday night, where they never looked likely in a lacklustre effort. Despite the loss, the Sky Blues are still in a decent position in the standings after three games, sitting in fifth with a 1-1-1 record. They will be hoping that a good week on the track and some subtle changes to their game plan can help them get back to winning ways against what looks like a mediocre Wellington Phoenix outfit.
Phoenix are coming off a 3-0 home loss of their own against the Wanderers last weekend. They really were dominated from start to finish and let the opposition amass 22 shots on target and control 56% of possession. They’re definitely not the type of numbers they’d be looking for on their home deck. The loss moves them one spot below City on the ladder in sixth, with a 1-1-1 record as well.
Although their records are similar after three games, we predict City to be the far better outfit in this one. They’ve got talent littered throughout their roster and should cruise to a multiple goal victory if everything goes to plan.
Melbourne City -1.5 Handicap
$2.50
Newcastle Jets vs Sydney FC (Saturday 7:50pm AEDT)
The Newcastle Jets are coming off a home loss to Melbourne Victory last weekend, conceding in the 71st minute to lose 1-0 to the reigning champs. They will feel a little hard done by after peppering the Victory goal for much of the 90 minutes, but will have to move on quickly to take on another powerhouse on Saturday night. The loss dropped them down to the bottom of the ladder with a dismal 0-1-2 record after three games.
Sydney FC were back to their blistering best in Week 3 as they punished Melbourne City by three goals on the road. Striker Adam Le Fondre is enjoying a dream start with the Sky Blues, averaging a goal of the game and providing a constant threat for 90 minutes. Sydney will continue on the road this weekend when they take on the Jets, before returning home next weekend for the Grand Final rematch with Melbourne Victory. Last weekend’s loss had Sydney climbing to a familiar position atop of the ladder with a 2-1-0 record.
We’re surprised to see Sydney start over the $2 mark in this one. They’re by far the superior team in this contest and have been for some time now. We’re going to take Sydney straight with confidence against the Jets.
Adelaide United vs Perth Glory (Sunday 5:00pm AEDT)
Adelaide United enjoyed a perfect week couple of weeks, claiming the FFA Cup and then destroying the Mariners in the A-League by 3-0 on the road. Whether cumulative fatigue will be a factor this weekend remains to be seen, but they will certainly need to be at their best against a red hot Perth Glory outfit. Adelaide are still undefeated in the league, but two draws and just the one win has them in third position in the standings.
As mentioned above, Perth Glory have been red hot this season and look every bit of a contender at this early stage. Although they only won 2-1 last week, it was a dominant performance that deserved a bigger score-line. Their win over Brisbane took their season record to 2-1-0, which has them only goal difference behind Sydney Fc at the top of the ladder.
This one looms as the match of the round as both teams are in great form. The argument can be made that Adelaide have a right to be favourites due to them being the home team, but our eye test has Perth being the better team here. We like them straight, but will settle for the Double Chance market at generous odds.
Perth Glory Double Chance
$1.74
