A-League fans are in store for another exciting weekend of top-flight Australian football with a host of teams looking to gain some momentum with their first victories of the year last weekend, whilst others look to continue their good form and run away from the rest of the competition.
Melbourne City will attempt to cement a top four spot against Newcastle Jets who are coming off back to back losses and still searching for their first goal since Week Three. Reigning premiers Adelaide United will be desperate for a victory after four successive losses, whilst Brisbane Roar will look to further continue their great form and claim their fourth win in a row.
Saturday will see the likes of Central Coast Mariners and Wellington Phoenix do battle after both sides recorded their first wins of the season last week, whilst Melbourne Victory will look to salvage some pride against Western Sydney Wanderers, who are coming off three successive draws.
To finish off Week Six, Sydney FC will hope to continue their blistering start to the season against Perth Glory; a team who are clinging on to fourth spot after their draw against Wanderers last weekend.
Melbourne City FC vs. Newcastle Jets
Thursday 10 November 7.50pm LOCAL
AAMI Park
Melbourne City are currently sitting third on the competition ladder since recording just one victory in their last three fixtures, including a tough loss to Brisbane Roar last weekend. Striker Bruno Fornaroli is in fine form with four goals to his name this season, and will be looking to inspire his team to another win against Newcastle; with City having won three of the past five encounters.
Newcastle Jets are struggling for form and coming off back-to-back losses against Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix. They have failed to find the back of the net in their last two fixtures, despite having scored seven goals in their first three games of the year. They will be looking to record back-to-back victories against City for the first time since November 2013.
It’s fair to say that we can expect a strong response from Melbourne considering their close loss last week, and with Newcastle not in the best of form, City might run away with a strong victory.
Tip: Melbourne City FC 2 Newcastle 0
Best bet: Melbourne City handicap -1 ($2.10)
Did you know? The Jets have scored 29% of their goals from headers this Hyundai A-League season, the most of any team. Melbourne City have conceded the most via headers at 33% of their goals.
Adelaide United vs. Brisbane Roar
Friday 11 November 7.20pm LOCAL
Coopers Stadium
After Adelaide United were competition cellar dwellers for the first eight rounds of the competition last season, no-one cant write off the defending premiers despite recording four successive losses and sitting last on the A-League ladder. They will be looking to bounce back to form against an in form Brisbane Roar outfit; having won the past two fixtures against them and looking for a third win a row for the first time in their history.
Three successive victories for Brisbane Roar and they now find themselves sitting second on the competition ladder behind a red-hot Sydney FC outfit. The most remarkable statistic shows that Roar boast the second worst attack in the league, having only scored five goals so far this year, however conceding just one goal in their past three games.
It’s only a matter of time before Adelaide start to find their groove, but I think their best chance this week is to salvage a draw against a team who are in rare form.
Tip: Adelaide United 1 Brisbane Roar 1
Best bet: Game total under 2.5 points ($2.05)
Did you know? Brisbane Roar have won on seven of their last nine trips to Adelaide (L1, D1) in the Hyundai A-League, although their last game there saw them fail to find the net away to the Reds for the first time since February 2010.
Central Coast Mariners vs. Wellington Phoenix
Saturday 12 November 5.35pm LOCAL
GIO Stadium
Central Coast managed to gain three points for the first time since January this year, with a strong victory over Adelaide United last weekend. They have the worst defensive record in the competition this year (10 goals, tied with Phoenix and Wanderers) and will be looking to get off to a good start in this encounter considering all their goals this season have come in the second half.
Like the Mariners, Wellington Phoenix recorded their first win of the season with a resounding 2-0 win over Newcastle Jets last weekend. A first half brace to striker Roy Krishna inspired the hard fought victory, and they will be looking to maintain their momentum and grab their first back to back win in over twelve months.
It looks like it will be a tight contest considering both sides are coming off their first wins of the year last week, and both teams will be looking to salvage some pride and claim a much needed back-to-back victory. In saying that, I can’t separate either team; should be a great game.
Tip: Central Coast Mariners 2 Wellington Phoenix 2
Best bet: Total game over 2.5 points ($1.60)
Did you know? Phoenix has conceded 11 goals in their last three Hyundai A-League games away from home, scoring only one goal in return.
Melbourne Victory vs. Western Sydney Wanderers
Saturday 12 November 7.50pm LOCAL
Etihad Stadium
Melbourne Victory will be kicking their feet having missed a host of opportunities and letting a valuable lead slip into the hands of ladder leaders Sydney FC, who claimed their fifth straight victory to sit well clear on top of the competition ladder. Marco Rojas and Bersart Berisha are in great form this season, with the pair having scored 8 of the teams total 11 goals this year (4 each), whilst Rojas has also contributed four assists which is the most in the competition. They will look to help Victory continue their good run of form against the Wanderers, having won five of the past seven encounters between them.
Western Sydney haven’t been able to find their feet so far this season, recording only one victory in week two of the competition whilst also coming off three successive draws heading into this encounter. Despite Brendon Santalab’s great form, they have never drawn four games in a row in their history and will be looking to salvage a victory to kick start their season in the right fashion.
They may have lapsed in the second half last week, but I think if any team is to learn from their mistakes it’s Kevin Muscat’s men; Victory to claim the win over a righting Wanderers outfit.
Tip: Melbourne Victory 1 Western Sydney Wanderers 0
Best bet: Melbourne Victory Win ($2.00)
Did you know? Wanderers skipper Dimas has made 364 passes this Hyundai A-League season, more than any other player and at a passing accuracy of 86%.
Sydney FC vs. Perth Glory
Sunday 13 November 5.00pm LOCAL
Sydney Football Stadium
Sydney FC just continue to find the will to win so far this season, claiming their fifth straight win against Melbourne Victory on Saturday night. They continue to boast their attacking prowess, scoring 13 goals so far this season whilst conceding just one goal in their first five games. If they win this weekend, it will be the first time they have won four home games in a row since 2013.
Perth Glory could only manage a draw last weekend against Western Sydney Wanderers, but still hold onto fourth spot considering they won two of their previous three games before last week. They face a massive challenge against the ladder leaders this Sunday afternoon, and will look to continue their early goal scoring ways; having scored 7 out of their 11 goals in the first 15 minutes of each half this year.
The question still remains as to how long Sydney can continue their purple patch of form, and despite the potential of Perth Glory, I still can’t see the home team losing considering their amazing success so far.
Tip: Sydney FC 2 Perth Glory 0
Best bet: Sydney FC -1.0 handicap ($2.87)
Did you know? Glory’s Andy Keogh has hit more shots on target than any other player this Hyundai A-League season (11) and as a result has the best shooting accuracy (91.7%) of any player (minimum five shots).
