Adelaide United find themselves at the top of the table after a wild midweek encounter with Auckland FC. A draw was a fair result for both teams, but all the excitement came after 90 minutes with Adelaide seemingly scoring the winner before Logan Rogerson equalized 10 minutes into stoppage time.
Five games in round 16 with Western United having the bye, however they will play their round 14 game on Wednesday night against Central Coast… don’t get me started on the A-League scheduling.
Last time out we picked a Western United upset back in round 13 and got some good value across the board so hopefully we’ll just rinse and repeat.
Heck of a game to kick things off this week with the Victory hosting Sydney FC. Both teams should be desperate for a win after last weeks results.
Shockingly, Sydney fell to Brisbane Roar in a seven goal shootout which was their first win of the season. If Brisbane can put four past the Sky Blues I can’t see why the Victory can’t slide a couple past as well.
Victory haven’t won since December 8th over Perth Glory but I think they take all three points on Friday night against a vulnerable Sydney side.
The Phoenix return to Christchurch for the first time in 9 years. The Garden City has made a bit of a name for itself by showing up in a big way when teams come down so I’m expecting a decent crowd for Saturday.
Both sides got back to winning ways in round 15. Both teams are tied on 17 points, a win for either side would do wonders when making a push for the top 6.
Kosta Barbarouses became just the fourth player in A-League history to notch up 100 goals, his form this year in front of goal has been the highlight for the Nix so far so I’m wanting to make the most of it.
Perth has the opportunity to leapfrog Newcastle this week with a win but they’ll still be a long way off catching anyone else.
Both these sides were quick to make moves during the ongoing transfer window and will be hoping their new editions can make an instant impact.
I’m not expecting a lot out of this game but if either team can grab a win, fair play to them.
Macarthur have had a bit of a dip form recently losing two of their last three fixtures and Melbourne City looked to be hitting their stride until last round going down 3-0 to the Black Knights.
It’s a very even playing field according to the odds but the Bulls haven’t won at home since round 1 so I’m backing City to bounce back quickly.
Can Western Sydney close the gap on the top 6 this weekend when they face Auckland FC?
Auckland do have the short week playing a factor after their mid-week fixture in Adelaide but taking on the Wanderers at this time works in their favour.
I was surprised to see AFC at $2.50 odds to win, I thought they’d be closer to $2 so for that value, give me AFC.
We have another midweek fixture with Central Coast Mariners taking on Western United at Ironbark Field. The Mariners have not lost to Western dating back to April 2022 and not conceded a goal to Western since the back end of 2022.
So why on earth are Western $1.80 favourites? That’s because they’re actually playing some good football this year and find themselves level in third place, and when you factor in Central Coast’s dramatic fall from the top it becomes more clear as to why they are favoured.
They get the extra rest as well which gives them extra time to prepare. All things are pointing towards a Western win but I don’t think they do it while keeping a clean sheet.