Two football codes ended on the weekend but another one starts this week with the 2017-18 Hyundai A-League season kicking off Friday night. It seems like only yesterday that Sydney FC were capping off one of the most impressive seasons in A-League history with a championship, but we are back to do it all again this Summer. See our preview and tips for the 2017-18 season below.
The Contenders
How can you look past Sydney FC after their absolutely ridiculous season last year. The Sky Blues amazingly lost just one game throughout the season and claimed a record 20 wins on their way to the title and championship double and will be hoping to go back to back here.
They will go into the season with a similar looking squad to last year, with the only issue being an ACL injury to midfielder/right back Rhyan Grant. Grant is set to miss the majority of the season, however, in his place Sydney boss Graham Arnold has signed experienced Socceroos defender Luke Wilkshire. Wilkshire probably won’t offer the Sky Blues the same attacking prowess as Grant but should be a solid replacement in defence at 35 years of age.
On form, it’s almost impossible to back anyone other than Sydney FC to at least win the title this year. The championship is a bit different because any team on their night can take it out but over the length of the season, Sydney should be far too consistent.
TIP: Sydney FC to win the title - $3 at Ladbrokes
Sydney were only able to overcome Melbourne Victory in last year’s championship game in penalties and they lost the FFA Cup Final to Melbourne City. They’ve shown their propencity to be shaky in big games so the 2017-18 Championship is pretty wide open.
Melbourne Victory boss Kevin Muscat has reunited the core that provided him with so much success a few years ago, bringing both Mark Milligan and Kosta Barbarouses back into the fold. Kosta seems the likely replacement for the departing Marco Rojas while Milligan should provide some consistency and solid defence in the midfield. James Troisi has resigned giving the Victory a potent attack. If you aren’t backing Sydney FC, the Melbourne Victory seem the likely bet to win the Championship.
One team that we are predicting to make a massive jump is Adelaide United. The Reds finished 9th on the table last year, scoring a league low 25 goals in the process. They seem to have addressed their scoring dilemmas, adding Bundasliga player Karim Matmour. They have gone undefeated through eight pre-season fixtures and are shaping up to be a threat to the top teams.
Value TIP: Adelaide United to win the Championship - $11 at Sportsbet
Top Goal Scorer
For all his dominance throughout his tenure in the A-League, Melbourne Victory striker Bersat Berisha has only claimed two goal scoring titles. However, he is near the top of the leaderboard year in year out and starts this season as favourite to take out the crown.
Melbourne City star Bruno Fornaroli will miss the early part of the season through injury so it seems Berisha’s main rival for the crown will be Sydney’s Bobo, who scored 15 goals last season. Victory should be one of the higher scoring teams in the comp with a revitalised attacking core so Berisha is our pick here.
TIP: Bersat Berisha top goal scorer - $4.50 at William Hill
