Matchday 11 of the A-League will kick off this Thursday, as the Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory battle to take control at the top of the standings.
Meanwhile, the teams at the foot of the table will be hoping that a new year brings a change in fortunes.
Check out our ‘Matchday 11’ preview and A-League betting tips below.
2023-24 A-League Men: Round 11 Preview & Betting Tips
Adelaide United vs Wellington Phoenix
Thursday 4th January, 7.45pm (AEDT)
Adelaide will host Wellington on Thursday night in a bumper clash to open the 11th round of the A-League Men’s season.
The visiting side sit at the top of the table despite suffering their second loss of the campaign last weekend, going down to Sydney 3-1.
The nature of the loss was surprising – the Phoenix had only conceded seven goals for the season up until the Sydney fixture.
Nevertheless, Wellington are still well placed at this point, unlike Adelaide.
United have lost four of their last five matches despite regularly hitting the scoreboard, making Thursday’s encounter an important one.
Wellington have beat Adelaide just once in seven previous meetings, so it’s understandable that the home side are favourites. However, I’m going to bank on the attacking firepower of both teams to make this a high scoring affair.
Both Teams to Score
$1.44 (3 Units)
Macarthur vs Newcastle Jets
Friday 5th January, 7.45pm (AEDT)
These two sides have taken very different trajectories in recent weeks – Macarthur have slid to fifth after losing three in a row, while Newcastle are on the way up after a couple of victories.
As such, it’s imperative that the Bulls reverse their fortunes on Friday, considering the logjam from fourth to tenth on the table.
It will be a tough task, as the Jets have won three of the last four matches between these sides.
Nevertheless, Macarthur are a better team than their recent results and I expect them to get back on the winners list at home.
Macarthur to Win
$2.05 (1 Unit)
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Central Coast Mariners
Saturday 6th January, 5.30pm (AEDT)
Western Sydney will take on the Central Coast Mariners in arguably the match of the round, with both teams sitting in the top six.
The Wanderers have stumbled after an imperious start to the season, while the Mariners have recovered from a disastrous start, re-establishing themselves as a title contender after going all the way last campaign.
These teams have been relatively evenly matched in recent times, the Wanderers winning their last encounter 2-0.
They are favourites to get the job done again, and it’s hard to argue with that given Western Sydney have the second best defensive record in the league.
As such, the Mariners might have trouble finding the back of the net, so I’m tipping a Wanderers victory.
Western Sydney Wanderers to Win
$2.45 (2 Units)
Brisbane Roar vs Sydney FC
Saturday 6th January, 7.45pm (AEDT)
What is there to say about Brisbane Roar’s last performance? Words can’t adequately describe just how poor they were. An 8-1 thrashing against Melbourne City made it three losses on the spin.
It’s been a cruel turn of form for the Roar who started the season full of optimism after winning four of their first seven fixtures. They now need to go back to the drawing board to avoid their fourth straight defeat.
In contrast, Sydney FC would’ve been extremely disappointed with their first half-a-dozen games of the season, but have turned things around in their past two weeks.
Sydney have banged in seven goals from their last two games, which is only one less than they scored in their prior eight games combined.
Clearly, the Roar will be desperate to bounce back on Saturday night, but that will be no easy task considering the return to form their upcoming opponents have achieved. I’m going with the form guide here and am taking Sydney to secure another win.
Sydney FC to Win
$2.35 (2 Units)
Perth Glory vs Melbourne Victory
Saturday 6th January, 9.45pm (AEDT)
Still unable to find back-to-back wins this season, Perth Glory enter Round 11 coming off a 4-2 away defeat against the defending champion Mariners.
Playing away from home has been an absolute nightmare this campaign for the Glory. They’ve generated just one point from six outings, so it’s fair to say they’ll be looking forward to returning home this weekend.
Meanwhile, Melbourne Victory have been in terrific form whether they be the hosts or the visiting side this season. They remain the only undefeated team in the competition after 10 rounds of play.
Victory dished up a professional performance against Adelaide last start, controlling the match in a 2-0 win toe make it three clean sheets in a row.
Victory have been in irresistible form this campaign to date and are impossible to back against as it stands. And although being at home does give Glory some form of hope, you still have to go with Victory to win in this one.
Melbourne Victory to Win
$1.72 (2 Units)
Western United vs Melbourne City
Sunday 7th January, 5.00pm (AEDT)
Since starting the season with a terrific road win against none other than Melbourne City, Western United have been nothing short of pathetic.
They’ve lost eight of their 10 fixtures and have conceded 4+ goals on three occasions, which simply isn’t up to the standard.
Elsewhere, Melbourne City are coming off an history 8-1 thumping of Brisbane Roar last weekend. Everything went right on the day for last season’s runners-up who are now starting to build some fantastic form.
City are undefeated in their last five league fixtures, accumulating 11 points over that span which has put them right back in the mix in terms of genuine title contenders.
Considering recent form of these two clubs, I’m surprised City aren’t even shorter in the H2H market here. They’ll be keen to avenge their loss earlier in the season against Western United and look well poised to do just that.
Melbourne City to Win
$1.75 (3 Units)
