It’s the last round of the A-League home and away season this weekend and there’s still plenty to play for. Adelaide, Central Coast, and Western Sydney are all playing for important finals seeding positions, while Wellington and Perth are fighting over the sixth and last spot in the finals.
Needless to say, there’s a lot to look forward to this weekend, and we have our full Matchday 26 preview and A-League betting tips below!
2022-23 A-League: Round 26 Preview & Betting Tips
Melbourne City vs Western Sydney Wanderers
Friday 28th April, 7.45pm (AEST)
Melbourne City will finish the end of the home and away season on top for the third consecutive year. They’re four points clear of second with one match remaining, which gives them the chance to potentially rest some of their senior players this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Wanderers enter Round 26 in fourth spot but can quite easily finish as high as second if they win this match and other results go their way.
The Wanderers will be motivated to take advantage of a potentially vulnerable City outfit this weekend, knowing that a top 2 finish gives them a huge boost to their chances of success in the finals.
These types of matches are always tricky to predict because you can’t be sure what type of motivation levels the City players will have; however, there’s enough value in the Wanderers here to have a cheeky 1-unit swing on them.
Western Sydney Wanderers to Win
$3.75 (1 Unit)
Adelaide United vs Central Coast Mariners
Friday 28th April, 7.45pm (AEST)
The match of the round takes place on Friday night with Adelaide United hosting the Central Coast Mariners. This and the City vs Wanderers fixture will take place simultaneously, which helps avoid any type of manipulation of results.
As it stands, Adelaide and Central Coast are in second and third place on the ladder, respectively. A win for either team would more than likely see them finish in second, which is a massive advantage compared to a third or fourth finish in the current A-League finals format.
Motivation levels will be at an all-time high for both clubs, which will make for must-see TV.
The Reds have struggled a little bit with form over the past three matches, but have the advantage of home ground on Friday night and that’s always huge in must-win fixtures.
With that in mind, I’m leaning towards the Reds to get the result, but will take them in the Draw No Bet market for a bit of insurance.
Adelaide United – Draw No Bet
$1.87 (3 Units)
Macarthur FC vs Wellington Phoenix
Saturday 29th April, 5.00pm (AEST)
Macarthur vs Wellington is another important fixture in Round 26 - at least it is for the visitors.
The Phoenix require just one point to secure a finals berth, although their recent form has left a lot to be desired and they certainly won’t be brimming with confidence.
They enter this clash having picked up just one point from their last five league matches and that’s put enormous pressure on them to perform in their final fixture of the home and away season.
Regardless, Macarthur don’t have anything to play for and Wellington should be able to take advantage of that factor. I like them to get the job done and secure a comfortable win to book their spot in the finals.
Wellington Phoenix to Win
$1.90 (2.5 Units)
Perth Glory vs Western United
Sunday 30th April, 10.00pm (AEST)
The final match of the home and away season has the potential to be a cracker, but it also has the very real potential of being a dead rubber.
If Wellington fail to pick up a point in their clash with Macarthur on Saturday night, then Perth can secure sixth spot on the ladder and a finals berth with a win against Western United.
Obviously, at the time of writing we have no idea whether Perth’s season is still alive come Sunday night, but if it is you can expect them to be highly motivated and to dominate this fixture against a Western United team with nothing to play for.
Due to all the uncertainly however, I’m only comfortable with allocating one unit to the Perth to win market at this stage.
Perth Glory to Win
$2 (1 Unit)
