It’s the penultimate round of the A-League season, headlined by a blockbuster clash between the Victory and Jets on Friday night. On Saturday all eyes head to Brisbane as Melbourne City have the chance to secure a finals berth. Will the top six be decided by the end of this round? We bring you our previews and betting tips for Round 25 below!
A-League 2025-26: Round 25 Preview & Betting Tips
Melbourne Victory vs Newcastle Jets
AAMI Park, Friday 17th April, 7:35pm AEST
Melbourne Victory return home for what shapes as one of the most intriguing matchups of Round 25, taking on a Newcastle Jets side that has been one of the competition’s most consistent attacking forces. The Jets sit at the top of the ladder and boast the league’s most potent attacking unit with Lachlan Rose, Clayton Taylor and Xavier Bertoncello all contributing heavily in front of goal this season. Their ability to share the scoring load has made them particularly difficult to defend.
Newcastle’s recent dominance in this fixture adds another layer. They are unbeaten in their last four meetings with the Victory, including a commanding win earlier in the campaign. However, history also suggests this won’t be straightforward, with the Jets traditionally finding it tougher away to Victory despite those strong head-to-head numbers. Melbourne will be eager to turn this into a scrap and hope that they can capitalize on their opportunities to turn around their struggles against the Jets
The key battle here will be control versus chaos. Victory will look to dictate possession and create structured attacking phases, while the Jets thrive in when the ball is and they have open space to stretch opposing defence. With both sides pushing for finals positioning, expect a high-quality contest. Newcastle’s attacking depth gives them a real edge, but Victory’s home record keeps this finely balanced.
Brisbane Roar vs Melbourne City
Suncorp Stadium, Saturday 18th April, 5:00pm AEST
Melbourne City will be looking to lock up their place in the finals when they travel north to take on Brisbane. A win will secure Melbourne City’s place in the finals, however a loss does leave the door ajar for either Macarthur or Wellington to leapfrog City in the final round of the season. For the Roar, there isn’t anything for them to gain in the final fortnight of the season, sitting second last and out of the finals race, which is a tough position to be in.
The Roar are winless in their last ten games, and are the lowest scoring team in the A-League, having scored just 24 goals across 24 matches. Melbourne City are the third best defensive side in the league having conceded just 29 goals, so it’s going to be an uphill battle for the home side to turn their struggles around. It’s been an up and down season for Melbourne City, but they are starting to hit form at the right time of the season, recording four wins and one draw from their last five games.
The defending champions have a great record against Brisbane, winning six of their last eight games against the Roar, and are currently on a five game unbeaten run against Brisbane. Given the disparity in form and consistency, Melbourne City look well positioned to continue their strong run and claim a crucial win that will secure their place in the finals series.
Melbourne City to Win
$2.10 (2 Units)
Adelaide United vs Macarthur
Coopers Stadium, Sunday 19th April, 3:30pm AEST
Adelaide United will be looking to shore up their place in the top four when they host Macarthur on Sunday. The Reds are currently fourth on the table, but on equal points with third placed Sydney FC. Adelaide however are only two points ahead of sixth placed Melbourne City, so they could finish anywhere from third to sixth depending on the results of the final two rounds. Macarthur have made life difficult for themselves after their 3-1 defeat to 10th placed Perth.
The loss now has Macarthur four points behind sixth placed Melbourne City, meaning they’ll need to win their final two games of the season and then hope they get slipups from Melbourne City or Melbourne Victory across both of their final games. Macarthur’s season has been plagued by inconsistency, at their best they’ve knocked off the best sides in the league. But like last week, their worst football has seen them lose to some of the worst teams in the competition.
Adelaide United have the equal best home record in the A-League this season, with a 6-3-3 record at Coopers Stadium. Macarthur’s away form hasn’t been great this season, recording only 15 points from 12 away games. The gap in quality between Adelaide’s attack and macarthur’s defence will ultimately be the difference in this game. The Reds are the second highest scoring team in the competition with 41 goals, while the Bulls are the second worst defence having conceded 41 goals.
Adelaide United to Win
$2.25 (1.5 Units)
