There were draws aplenty in the A-League last weekend as Melbourne City dropped points for the first time in four games.
It was a tough round for the battlers – no team outside the top four was victorious – so all 12 sides will be pushing for three points in Round 13.
Check out our Matchday 13 preview and A-League betting tips below.
2022-23 A-League: Round 13 Preview & Betting Tips
Adelaide United vs Macarthur
Friday 20th January, 7.45pm (AEDT)
Adelaide and Macarthur have been up and down recently, but both are in the top six after 12 rounds.
Socceroos hero Craig Goodwin has been the standout for United this campaign, with 5 goals and 4 assists, while Craig Noone has 4 assists to his name for the Bulls.
These teams have traded wins in recent seasons, with the home team winning each of the last five matches. That trend can’t be ignored, and Adelaide will enjoy hosting rights this time around.
United have been solid on home soil so far this campaign, so it’s easy to see why Adelaide the favourite with the bookies.
Back Adelaide to leapfrog Macarthur with a win in front of home fans here.
Adelaide United
$1.90 (2 Units)
Western United vs Sydney FC
Saturday 21st January, 5.00pm (AEDT)
These teams have been two of the biggest underperformers in 2022/23, winning just 7 of 24 games collectively.
It’s been an especially disappointing campaign for Western United, who are 11th on the table having conceded the most goals in the league (24).
The Sky Blues have fared slightly better, but they have conceded 21 goals themselves, the second most of any team.
As such, we can expect some goals in this encounter, and recent history supports this. The last two games between these sides have yielded seven goals, with Sydney coming out on top both times.
Arguably the worst result possible for both these teams from this encounter, but that’s the result that I’m predicting in an entertaining clash.
Brisbane Roar vs Melbourne City
Saturday 21st January, 7.45pm (AEDT)
Melbourne City produced their first blemish in nearly a month last weekend, held to a 1-1 draw by Western Sydney Wanderers.
City recorded a staggering 31 shots but were unable to convert the chances into a deciding goal. On the other hand, Brisbane slumped to a second straight defeat, losing 1-0 at home to Wellington.
While Brisbane have defied the odds to perform admirably this season, this game shapes as a huge test.
The head-to-head history supports that – City have won the last three games played between these two teams.
It’s difficult to see this game playing out differently, as Melbourne are comfortably the best team in the running at this point.
A staggering goal difference of 16 compared to Brisbane’s 0 shows the gulf in class between these outfits and Melbourne will widen that margin with a win on Saturday.
Melbourne City
$1.92 (3 Units)
Perth Glory vs Melbourne Victory
Saturday 21st January, 10.30pm (AEDT)
Although unable to come away with a win against Sydney, the Glory extended their unbeaten run to three and have now secured seven points from a possible nine during that stretch.
Glory’s form over the past six or so rounds has clearly been their best for a couple of seasons now. They’ve already matched last season’s win total of four and are also only two points outside the top six.
They’ve enjoyed playing in front of their home fans for a couple of weeks in a row now and will remain at home for their meeting with Victory.
Victory have struggled to replicate their form from last season and don’t look like turning it around anytime soon. They’ve secured only one points from their last four matches and are glued to the bottom of the table.
Perth Glory are one of two teams still undefeated at home this season and the other is the league-leading Melbourne City. In that type of form, they deserve to be favourites against Melbourne Victory.
Back Glory in to win this one at a price.
Perth Glory
$3.10 (1 Unit)
Wellington Phoenix vs Central Coast Mariners
Sunday 22nd January, 1.00pm (AEDT)
Wellington Phoenix continued their excellent form with a road win against Brisbane Roar last weekend. Phoenix have now won two in a row on their travels and have kept a clean sheet on both occasions.
After a strong campaign in 2021-22, Phoenix have done an excellent job of building again this season and currently find themselves in fourth spot on the table.
Meanwhile, the Mariners are absolutely flying with three wins in a row and five from their past six. Their only defeat during this current run was on the road against the league-leaders in Melbourne City.
The Mariners have climbed into second spot on the table and won’t be the slightest bit intimidated by the form of the Phoenix. They’ve beaten them in two of their past three meetings and have a +9 goal difference from those clashes.
Phoenix are in good form, but the Mariners are on another level at the moment. I expect the visitors to be too strong and to extend their winning streak to four.
Central Coast Mariners
$2.60 (1.5 Units)
Newcastle Jets vs Western Sydney Wanderers
Sunday 22nd January, 3.00pm (AEDT)
The Jets got their campaign off to a flyer with wins in their opening two games, but their form since then has left a lot to be desired. They’ve lost seven of their last 10 games and have picked up only one point from their last three.
Still, such is the tightness of the competition this season, the Jest are still only three points outside the top six and have a good run of home games coming up on their schedule.
Likewise, the Wanderers got their campaign off to a fantastic start with 10 points from their opening four games, but unlike their opponents here, the Wanderers have been able to hang onto their form.
A 1-1 draw against City last weekend was a good result and their 4-0 win overt Macarthur three games back was their best performance of the season.
The Wanderers are simply the far better team in this matchup on current form and they should be winning this despite being the travelling team.
Western Sydney Wanderers
$2.30 (2 Units)
