Another week, another derby, this time of the Sydney variety with the Sky Blues and Wanderers set to lock horns on Saturday night.
That blockbuster fixture will headline the Matchday 19 action, alongside the F3 Derby between Newcastle Jets and the Central Coast Mariners.
Check out our ‘Matchday 19’ preview and A-League betting tips below.
2023-24 A-League: Round 19 Preview & Betting Tips
Macarthur vs Melbourne City FC
Friday 1st March, 7.45pm (AEDT)
Macarthur and Melbourne City are both in the hunt for a finals spot, sitting fourth and seventh, respectively.
These teams have been up and down of late, winning just three games between them over the last five weeks.
City have been particularly down on results, failing to win in four previous matches.
These sides faced off three times in 2023, for two draws and one heavy Melbourne win.
Each game has had goals, and I expect that to be the case again on Friday night.
While Macarthur offer strong value as the home side, I predict that the points will be shared.
Western United vs Perth Glory
Saturday 2nd March, 5.00pm (AEDT)
Lowly Western United will host Perth Glory in a relatively unappetising clash on Saturday, as both sides look to build some momentum.
Perth are clearly the better side of the two – the Glory have conceded one extra goal but have scored a whopping 17 more, underlining their attacking potency.
However, both recent wins have come at home, while the men in purple will be forced to travel for this week’s fixture.
Western United have also managed to secure four points from their last two home games, so there is a case to be made that they can chalk up a fourth win here.
With that said, goalscoring is still an issue, so I’m backing another draw.
Newcastle Jets vs Central Coast Mariners
Saturday 2nd March, 6.00pm (AEDT)
Newcastle have struggled of late, and things don’t get any easier this Saturday when the Jets host a rampaging Central Coast side in the F3 Derby.
The Mariners have 3/5 recent matches to sit second on the table, while the Jets are 11th after five winless encounters.
It’s surprising given the form of Apostolos Stamatelopoulos – the Newcastle striker has scored 14 goals, the most of any player this season.
However, the Jets have conceded 38 goals, preventing them from achieving better results.
On the other hand, Central Coast have conceded just 22 goals, and Angel Torres has been a regular source of goals.
With the attacking powers of each team in mind, a high scoring affair could be on the cards.
Both Teams to Score
$1.47 (3 Units)
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sydney FC
Saturday 2nd March, 7.45pm (AEDT)
The Wanderers were able to snap a three-game winless run last weekend with a win away from home against Adelaide (2-1). They now face the challenge of trying to make it back-to-back wins which they’ve failed to achieve since November.
Elsewhere, Sydney FC are currently riding a six-match unbeaten run which is by far their best streak of the season to date. They played out a 1-1 draw against Melbourne City in their most recent outing.
Sydney have recovered nicely since their tough start to the season and have ascended into sixth spot on the ladder and only one point behind their upcoming opponents.
Despite their recent success, Sydney will start this clash as the underdogs which is a label that has served them well in recent times. They’ve won their past four matches against the Wanderers when priced as the underdog and are well poised to extend that streak.
Sydney FC to Win
$2.60 (1.5 Units)
Wellington Phoenix vs Adelaide United
Sunday 3rd March, 3.00pm (AEDT)
The Phoenix were unable to find the back of the net last start against the Glory but their defe3nce held up admirably once again to force a share of the points (0-0).
The Phoenix have now kept a clean sheet in three of their last four league fixtures and conceded only once in the game where they didn’t.
As a result, they’re now nine games in a row unbeaten and are sitting very pretty at the top of the table.
Meanwhile, Adelaide recently suffered their second loss in a row and fourth from their past five games (0-1-4). Their last defeat came at the hands of the Wanderers who did the damage early with two first half goals.
On current form, it’s hard to see how the Reds can get anything out of this game against the Phoenix and as such, I’m more than happy to back in the ladder-leaders.
Wellington Phoenix to Win
$2.10 (3 Units)
Brisbane Roar vs Melbourne Victory
Sunday 3rd March, 5.00pm (AEDT)
Brisbane Roar shocked the league in Round 16 with a 5-1 thrashing of Melbourne City, but that result looks like it may just be an anomaly based on their two results since.
They backed up that City win with a poor loss against the Glory (3-2) before playing out a 2-2 draw against bottom-dwellers Western United last time out.
In contrast, Melbourne Victory are enjoying a strong bounce back season despite a couple of poor results in recent weeks. They were unable to find the back of the net last start against the Mariners (0-1) although they were far from disgraced.
Victory will be keen to get straight back onto the winners list this weekend and should be able to do just that against an unreliable Roar outfit.
Melbourne Victory to Win
$2.10 (1 Unit)
