It feels like it’s been an eternity since the semi-finals, but the 2022-23 A-League Grand Final is finally upon us. Melbourne City finished on top of the ladder but will have to travel to CommBank Stadium in NSW to battle the Central Coast Mariners for the ultimate prize. We bring you our full preview and best betting tips for the match below!
2022-23 A-League: Grand Final Preview & Betting Tips
Melbourne City vs Central Coast Mariners
Saturday June 3rd, 7:45pm (AEST)
Two weeks have passed since Melbourne City and the Central Coast Mariners booked their spot in the A-League Grand Final.
Melbourne made light work of Sydney in their semi-finals matchup when winning 5-1 on aggregate. Their 4-0 win in the home leg was as dominant a performance as you’ll see at this level and the only negative about it is they’ve had 14 days to wait to try and replicate it.
Central Coast also won their semi-finals series fairly comfortably, dispatching Adelaide 4-1 on aggregate. They won both legs and would be pumped with the form they’ve been able to show in their recent outings.
It goes without saying that both clubs are firing on all cylinders at the right part of the year and that should make for an entertaining and high-quality Grand Final.
And it also has the potential to be a tight and tense battle if their home and away clashes are anything to go by.
These teams met only twice this season and both matches came right down to the wire. City were 1-0 winners when they played hosts on December 27th, while the second matchup, which was at the home of the Mariners, finished 1-1 on April 15th.
Although their home and away meetings finished with a combined three goals scored, expecting the Grand Final to be a low-scoring match could be foolish considering how fantastic both teams have been on offense in their lead up fixtures. City haven’t been held goalless in 16 straight matches, and the Mariners have scored in each of their last seven outings.
On the flip side, neither team would be completely happy with how their defence has been holding up. City’s clean sheet against Sydney in the second leg of the semi-finals was their first since January, which is crazy to think considering they’ve only lost in the 16 matches since then. Similarly, the Mariners have only kept two clean sheets in their last 17 fixtures.
These stats lead me to believe there will be plenty of goals in the Grand Final, it’s just a matter of which team can make the most of their chances when they’re presented.
With that said, I’m keen to back the Over 3.5 Goals and Both Teams to Score markets.
Both Teams to Score & Over 3.5 Goals
$2.50
