Unfortunately, we hit on just 1 of 3 tips in last weekend’s A-League preview. Week 20 of the 2017-18 season kicks off this Friday night and will be split over the next two weekends. We’ll preview the two games on this weekend and return next week to finish off the round!
Split Round Week 1 Tips (Friday 9th February)
Melbourne Victory vs Brisbane Roar (Friday 7.50pm AEDT)
The Roar took an early lead in their game against Melbourne City last weekend, but couldn’t hold on as City fought back to win 2-1. Brisbane will complete the Melbourne double header this Friday night as they travel to AAMI Park to take on the Victory. Sitting just three points outside the top six, the Roar will be desperate to get an away win here to put some pressure on Western Sydney in sixth place.
The Victory suffered a disappointing away loss to Newcastle last Saturday night to slip to fifth on the A-League table. They have now lost their last two games and although they still sit seven points clear inside the top six, they’ll see this game as a great chance to cement their finals spot.
The Victory might not be in the best form at the moment but Brisbane have really struggled offensively all season long. They have scored just 22 goals through their 19 games and haven’t beaten the Victory in their last four attempts. We like the boys in blue to take this one on Friday night.
TIP: Melbourne Victory to win - $1.72 at Sportsbet
Melbourne City vs Sydney FC (7.50pm AEDT)
Melbourne City will host Sydney FC at AAMI Park on Saturday night in the game of the round. The Sydney train continued to role in Week 19, as they defeated Wellington 4-0 to move nine points clear on top of the ladder. They have lost just one game so far this season, and claimed maximum points in 14 of their 19 games. They are well on the way to repeating their near perfect season last year and it’s hard to find a reason to bet against them at the moment.
Melbourne City have been extremely impressive this season as well. They have a 10-3-6 record through 19 games and currently sit third on the A-League table. While the minor premiership might be out of reach for City, they’ll be eyeing one of the top two spots to secure the first round by in finals. The attacking three of Marcin Budzinski, Dario Viodosic and Ross McCormack have been great for City over the last month, which spells worrying signs for opponents as captain Bruno Fornaroli is also in line to make his long awaited return to the side this weekend.
Fornaroli will likely only play limited minutes off the bench for City, but having him as another avenue to goal late in the game is extremely promising for Melbourne. Sydney start as favourites here but with the skipper back in the line-up and City playing some great football at the moment we think they can earn at least a point here.
TIP: Melbourne City (double chance) - $1.72 at Sportsbet
Split Round Week 2 Tips (Friday 16th February)
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Newcastle Jets (Friday 7.50pm AEDT)
The split round didnt apply to the Western Sydney Wanderers, who had to play a make up game against hte Phoenix which was postponned earlier in the season. They were great in the 4-0 win, with Riera, Thwaite, Ikonomidis and Sotirio all finding the back of the net. They'll get another home game this Friday night and will start as slight favourites over the Newcastle Jets, who have been great so far this season.
The Jets sit second on the A-League table. They have won six of their last 10 games and lost just two in that same period. Their 41 goals scored is second to only Sydney FC and they'll be looking to secure a win against the Wanderers in an attempt to secure that first round bye in the finals.
Tough game to call here, the Jets have lost just two games away from home all year and have failed to claim points just two times on the road, which is the best mark of any team outside of Sydney. With the advantage of having an extra week off and coming into the match completely fresh, we like them to leave Sydney with at least a point here.
TIP: Newcastle (draw no bet) - $1.89 at Sportsbet
Adelaide United vs Central Coast Mariners (7.50pm AEDT)
Adelaide United have surged over the last month of play to now find themselves in fourth position on the A-League table. While they only have a -1 goal differnece on the season, they have managed to win their last two games and are just five points behind Melebourne City in 3rd place with a game in hand. They'll be pushing for the home final in week one as well as a spot in next season's AFC Champions League in the latter part of the year and have a great chance this weekend against the Central Coast Mariners.
The Mariners have lost their last two games and are the only winless team in the A-League in the last 10 weeks of play. They now sit just two points clear of Wellington, and will be desperate for a win to stay out of that dreaded wooden spoon position. they have won just 1 game away from home all season and claimed just seven points through nine road games.
Central Coast have been gallant in a few games, particularly in a win and a draw against Sydney FC. However, their form over the last few months has been horrendous and with Adelaide starting to come good at the business end of the year as they so often do, we can't see them losing this one at home.
TIP: Adelaide to win - $1.83 at Ladbrokes
