Fifteen rounds in and the A-League top six is starting to establish itself, albeit the race for finals spots is still heating up!
A Sydney derby will headline this weekend’s action, with both teams in the mix heading into this encounter.
Check out our Matchday 16 preview and A-League betting tips below.
2022-23 A-League: Round 16 Preview & Betting Tips
Brisbane Roar vs Central Coast Mariners
Friday 10th February, 7.45pm (AEDT)
Brisbane Roar, the hosts for this clash, have fallen toward the back of the pack in recent weeks.
Despite a promising start to the campaign, the Roar have lost four of their last five matches and a slew of off-field issues are beginning to derail their season.
On the pitch, attacking impotence has been Brisbane’s biggest issue – they have scored just 11 goals, four less than the next worse team.
For these reasons, the Roar will enter this game as underdogs despite holding the home-ground advantage.
Central Coast will relish this opportunity, given the tough run they have had. Games against Wellington, Western Sydney and Sydney have resulted in two losses and a draw, so the Mariners will welcome playing against a lowly opponent this weekend.
With 31 goals to their name, Central Coast clearly have far more to offer offensively than the Roar, and I expect them to take full advantage of that on Friday night.
Central Coast Mariners
$2.50 (2 Units)
Western United vs Adelaide United
Saturday 11th February, 5.00pm (AEDT)
Time is running out for Western United to recapture the form that drove them to a title last season.
United have won just one of their last five matches and sit only two points clear of the last-placed Victory. Conversely, Adelaide are in a great position, sitting fourth just one point behind Western Sydney and level with Central Coast.
The South Australian side have had the better of the recent head-to-head encounters between these two teams, winning the last two matches. However, the punters are backing the hosts to get back on the winners list in this game and I agree that Western United have the talent to achieve this. Nevertheless, I’m tipping a draw here.
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sydney FC
Saturday 11th February, 7.45pm (AEDT)
Western Sydney will host Sydney FC on Saturday night in what is sure to be another absorbing edition of the Sydney derby.
Both teams sit in the top six, although the Wanderers have been more consistent over the first 16 rounds, losing four less games than the Sky Blues.
Defence has been the cornerstone of Western Sydney’s success – the Wanderers have conceded just 12 goals, the least in the league. On the other hand, Sydney have given up 25 goals, so they are the more fragile team at the back.
Most of the recent clashes between these sides have been low-scoring affairs, with the Wanderers losing just one of the last four derbies.
With a home crowd to spur them on, I’m backing Western Sydney to get the job done this time around.
Western Sydney Wanderers
$2.70 (2 Units)
Perth Glory vs Melbourne City
Saturday 11th February, 10.30pm (AEDT)
Perth Glory made it six games unbeaten when they fought out a 2-2 draw at home to the Jets last weekend.
They’re playing by far the best football they’ve played for a couple of seasons now, and are knocking on the door of the top six as a result.
Still, Glory will have to ramp it up a couple of notches if they’re to extend their streak to seven when the host City on Saturday night.
City hit Glory for four when they met a couple of months ago in Melbourne, and their recent 6-1 win against Macarthur tells us that they’re in the mood to dominate.
As good as Glory have been in recent weeks, they don’t have the gears to go with City and I expect the visitors to come away with another win.
Melbourne City
$1.70 (2 Units)
Newcastle Jets vs Melbourne Victory
Sunday 12th February, 3.00pm (AEDT)
The Newcastle Jets haven’t been winning many games recently but they’ve been far more competitive on a consistent basis compared to earlier in the season.
The Jets are currently unbeaten in four matches, although they’ve still been conceding goals at a high rate. In fact, they’ve only kept one clean sheet all season and that came back in Round 9 against Adelaide.
Likewise, Melbourne Victory have been struggling to keep balls from going into the back of their net. They haven’t kept a clean sheet since Round 7 and have lost five of their seven games since.
Both teams are struggling to defend at the moment and that should make for a high-scoring affair on Sunday afternoon. 3+ goals have been scored in each of their past four meetings and I’m expecting that trend to continue.
Over 2.5 Goals
$1.85 (2.5 Units)
Macarthur FC vs Wellington Phoenix
Sunday 12th February, 5.00pm (AEDT)
Macarthur have been forced to wait until the final game of the round to get their chance to make up for a horrible performance last weekend. They were beaten 6-1 against Melbourne City which shows them just how far off the pace they are.
Macarthur have now lost four of their last six games and have conceded 15 goals in that span, which has seen them drop to ninth on the league table.
Similarly, Wellington will be looking to put in a far better performance than what they produced last weekend when they were beaten 3-1 against Victory.
Both teams have been conceding goals at a high rate in recent weeks and there’s no reason why that won’t continue when they meet this weekend.
There’s been nine goals scored in their last two meetings and there should be plenty more in this one.
Over 2.5 Goals
$1.66 (3 Units)
