A-League Round 9 Preview
Week 9 of the 2016/17 season of the Hyundai A-League will mark a third of the competition being completed. The opening 8 weeks of the new campaign has highlighted the significance of top flight Australian football and what it has to offer for fans across the country.
Week 9 will kick off in Melbourne on Friday night, with Melbourne Victory hosting Perth Glory at AAMI Park with hopes of claiming their third straight victory.
Saturday will see Central Coast Mariners up against Western Sydney Wanderers, with the Mariners looking for back-to-back victories after a strong win last week. Melbourne City will look to continue their good form when they face fourth placed Brisbane Roar at home.
Sunday afternoon football will travel to Newcastle when the Jets search for a much needed victory against a Sydney FC. The Sky blues are coming off back-to-back A-League draws and a loss to Melbourne City in the FFA Cup Final on Wednesday night. Capping off the weekend will be Adelaide United and Wellington Phoenix, with the defending premiers still looking for their first win of the season. Phoenix on the other hand will look to return to their winning ways after a tough loss against City last Sunday night.
Melbourne Victory vs. Perth Glory
Friday 2nd December 7.50pm LOCAL
AAMI Park
Melbourne Victory are coming off a strong 2-0 victory over Newcastle Jets last weekend, and will be looking to make it three wins in a row when they take on an inconsistent Perth Glory side. Marco Rojas will be out to continue his stellar form this season, after he scored another two goals last week. He sits first in the competition for assists this season (4). Combined with Bersart Berisha, the pair have scored over 50% of Victory’s total goals this year.
Perth Glory have been struggling to retain their early season form in recent weeks, coming off a 2-0 loss to Central Coast Mariners. They remain one of the most inconsistent sides in the competition so far. The loss has them just outside the top four on 11 points, and will be looking to get their defensive structures right this week. They have not kept a clean sheet since Round 2 against Wellington Phoenix.
This match could be anything considering the unpredictable form of Glory. Their task has not been made any easier with the omission of Diego Castro and Josh Risden due to injury. A big ask for Glory against a team well in form.
Tip: Melbourne Victory 2 Perth Glory 0
Best Bet: Bersart Berisha anytime goal scorer ($1.90)/Marco Rojas anytime goal scorer ($2.75)
Did you know? Melbourne Victory have scored six goals in the final 15 minutes of games already this season, the equal most of any team and accounting for 38% of their total goals for the campaign.
Central Coast Mariners vs. Western Sydney Wanderers
Saturday 3rd December 5.35pm LOCAL
Central Coast Stadium
Central Coast Mariners have improved their performances significantly in recent weeks. They have won two of their last four fixtures including their first win at home since New Years Eve last weekend. Their 2-0 win over Perth Glory saw them jump to 6th on the competition ladder, and will be hoping to make it back-to-back A-League victories for the first time since the elimination final in the 2013/14 season.
Western Sydney Wanderers settled for another draw against Brisbane Roar last weekend. It was their fifth of the season and remain they winless in their past five fixtures. The Wanderers have conceded 15 goals this season which is the second most in the competition, and have also failed to record a clean sheet so far in this campaign.
This fixture lines up to be a possible thriller considering the potential of the Wanderers and the form of Central Coast. I can’t split either team considering their form and might take something special of either of them to walk away with three points.
Tip: Central Coast Mariners 2 Western Sydney Wanderers 2
Best bet: Game total over 2.5 ($1.65)
Did you know? Mariner Roy O’Donovan has attempted 21 shots at goal so far this season, only Bruno Fornaroli (27) has hit more; 11 of O’Donovan’s shots have been on target with four finding the back of the net. -
Melbourne City FC vs. Brisbane Roar
Saturday 3rd December 7.50pm LOCAL
AAMI Park
Melbourne City will be flying high after their victory over Sydney FC in the FFA Cup final saw them claim their first piece of silverware in the clubs history. They will be coming off a hard fought A-League victory against Wellington Phoenix, and have Bruno Fornaroli and Tim Cahill in sublime form with Fornaroli leading the competition with seven goals and Cahill also scoring twice in three games.
Brisbane Roar again dropped points last weekend after succumbing to a 1 all draw against the Wanderers. They were in brilliant form a few weeks ago when they recorded three successive victories, however are coming off a third successive draw. They now sit at fourth place on the competition ladder.
City will be full of confidence considering their recent form and FFA Cup glory, but will two games in four days be too much for the Melbourne heavyweights? If Brisbane come out firing, an upset could well be on the cards.
Tip: Melbourne City 1 Brisbane Roar 2
Best bet: Brisbane Roar win ($3.70)
Did you know? Brisbane Roar have not conceded more than 1 goal a game since their 4-0 defeat in Round Two against Newcastle Jets.
Newcastle Jets vs. Sydney FC
Sunday 4th December 5.00pm LOCAL
McDonald Jones Stadium
Newcastle Jets fell short once again last weekend with a loss to Melbourne Victory adding more salt into the wounds of a side that has been plagued with injury throughout the first quarter of their campaign. They have battled hard but have regularly fallen short, and have struggled to find the back of the net having scored just nine goals this season. Four of those goals coming from their only win this year against Brisbane Roar in Round 2.
Sydney FC started the season well clear of the competition with six consecutive victories. They have since recorded back-to-back draws against Brisbane Roar and last placed Adelaide United. They lost the FFA Cup Final on Wednesday night to Melbourne City away from home, and may struggle to bounce back with this their second away fixture in four days.
Sydney FC may be doing it tough since their loss on Wednesday, but you can expect a strong response from a team of their quality and against a team who are struggling to find good form.
Tip: Newcastle Jets 0 Sydney FC 1
Best bet: Away team clean sheet ($2.65)
Did you know? Since snaring a 2-1 win against Sydney FC at home in 2005, Newcastle have won just one of 16 games against the Sky Blues when playing on home soil (D4, L11).
Adelaide United vs. Wellington Phoenix
Sunday 4th December 6.30pm LOCAL
Coopers Stadium
It has been a tough start to the year for Adelaide United, with last years champions still failing to record a victory this season despite some improved performances in recent weeks. To make matters worse for Adelaide, coach Guillermo Amor has been faced with another ban on the sidelines after his altercation in Week 7 resulting in further sanctions.
Wellington Phoenix were in great form heading into last week’s game against Melbourne City, however fell short at the final hurdle and succumbed to a tough loss away from home. In form striker Roy Krishna added to his total last week, with another goal taking his tally to 5 for the season (Phoenix total is six). He will be looking to help motivate his team climb the ladder after dropping to ninth place after their loss.
Adelaide have looked much improved in their recent fixtures, and are facing a Phoenix outfit who have also been better in recent weeks despite their last start loss. With Wellington coming off a loss and playing away from home, United could be on the verge of their first victory of the season
Tip: Adelaide United 1 Wellington Phoenix 0
Best bet: Game total under 2.5 ($2.20)
Did you know? Adelaide United have lost all three games in which they’ve scored first this season, Melbourne Victory (once) are the only other side to lose after scoring the opener in 2016/17.
For the latest A-League Round 9 markets, click here.
Blue Bet Words: Andre Cupido
