Round 1 of the A-League season is in the books, and for the first time ever, more than two teams can say they’re above Auckland FC on the ladder.
Including the Wellington Phoenix…
Both sides played out draws in their opening fixtures, both away from home too.
Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar and Central Coast Mariners each had wins.
Let’s get stuck into the match previews that see both the Nix and AFC back at home this weekend.
Neither team was able to break through during Auckland FC’s first game of the season against Melbourne Victory. It was dubbed as a revenge game for the Black Knights, but it didn’t live up to that.
Their task this weekend, Western Sydney.
It doesn’t get any easier for Auckland; last season, they beat the Wanderers 1-0 away and drew 1-1 at home. They’ll be looking to come out hot in front of their home crowd.
Western Sydney made the most of their chances despite being dominated in possession and almost all attacking stats. As they head to Auckland, I’d imagine they’ll play with a similar game plan and will likely be contenders all season.
Auckland will have to watch out for the Wanderers’ counter-attack that always looked dangerous last weekend. But Auckland’s defence was rock solid for the most part last year and starts strong again this season.
I’ll give the Black Knights the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their attacking ability, but they need to do better.
They might take a little while to get going, and Western Sydney will look to counter. I think we’ll only see one or two goals on Saturday at Go Media.
The Nix looked like they were going to be in real trouble going 2-nil down inside the opening half hour, but they turned it around and managed a 2-2 draw and will head home with a point.
The two positives for the Phoenix were that, even after their poor start, they didn’t roll over and give up, they kept looking for their way back into the game, and to their credit, looked the better side for the second half of the game.
The other positive is their new signings. Eze with a classy finish for his first goal, and the Italian, Carlo Armiento scored the second.
The Roar will be delighted to have started their season with a win after it didn’t come until Round 15 last year!
The last five games between these two have either ended 1-1 or 1-0, with the Nix having two wins and the Roar just the one win.
The weather in the capital is meant to be far from pleasant. Factoring in the conditions, where I see both teams and their recent history, I’m picking a draw.
One of the best teams in the league against one of the worst…
The second time these sides met last year ended in a 1-0 to City. A weird result because in the four games prior to that, games between these two have been VERY high scoring, with each of the four seeing at least five goals.
A 5-0 win to City, a 5-4 win to Perth in the Australian Cup, an astonishing 8-0 to City and then a 4-2 win to Perth.
- Melbourne City vs Perth Glory Over 2.5 Total Goals @ $1.53
- Auckland FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers Under 2.5 Total Goals @ 2.15
- Wellington Phoenix or Draw @ $1.60
- Sydney FC vs Central Coast Mariners Both Teams to Score: Yes @ $1.65
Remember to use Multi Rescue so if your bet loses by one leg you’ll get your stake back as Bonus Cash up to $50.