The first leg of the 2023-24 A-League Semi-Finals are in the book, and now it’s time to gear up for the return leg! This time it’ll be Wellington and Central Coast who get to play in front of their home fans, as they host Melbourne Victory and Sydney respectively. We landed a juicy $3.50 play in the first leg and have offered our best bets for both upcoming fixtures below. Good luck to everyone following!
A-League Semi-Finals Betting Tips
Wellington Phoenix vs Melbourne Victory
Saturday 18th May, 4:30pm (AEST)
Although highly entertaining, the first leg of this semi-final’s matchup finished as a 0-0 draw. Melbourne Victory were at home in the first leg, which means Wellington Phoenix get their chance to play in front of their fans this weekend.
Victory would be extremely disappointed they were unable to came away from the opening leg with at least a one goal advantage. They dominated all of the key statistics including possession (56%-44%), and both shots (20-6) and shots on target (5-0); however, it was all in vain as they were unable to get past Phoenix keeper Alex Paulsen.
Looking ahead at the return leg and the bookies have priced it as practically a 50-50 contest, with both clubs paying around $2.60 to win in normal time. And of course, both clubs are around the same price ($1.80ish) to qualify for the next round should we need more than 90 minutes.
Recent meetings between these clubs suggest there’s a huge chance we’ll need additional time to determine the winner, considering three of their last four clashes have ended in a draw.
In saying that, Wellington came out on top last time they hosted Victory, which was only a little over a month ago (April 12 2024). The Phoenix have displayed great consistency across the season and with the home fans behind them, I can see them progressing through to the next round.
Wellington Phoenix to Qualify
$1.80 (1.5 Units)
Central Coast Mariners vs Sydney FC
Saturday 18th May, 7:45pm (AEST)
The first leg of this semi-final’s matchup went the way of the visiting Mariners which gives them a massive advantage for the return leg where they will play at home against Sydney.
Sydney were the fast starters in the first leg and managed to find a 25th minute goal from Joel King, but the Mariners quickly took control and dominated the match from that point onwards, scoring on either side of the main break to take a 2-1 scoreline back to the Central Coast.
The Mariners could’ve won by an even greater margin had they taken a couple more of their chances. They managed to fire six shots on target to the Sky Blues’ one, and also had more possession which certainly wasn’t to be expected on the road.
On top of all of that, Sydney’s Jack Rodwell picked up a red card in the 63rd minute, while Corey Holman was also sent off in the 82nd minute after copping his second yellow card of the match. Both men will be unavailable for the second leg, while Rodwell will also miss the Grand Final should they progress.
The Mariners are clearly in the box seat for Saturday night’s clash. You can expect Sydney to try and get on the front foot to impact the scoreboard early, but that will leave them exposed on the counter and the Mariners have a knack of making teams pay in such circumstances. I expect them to double the dose with another win at home.
Central Coast Mariners to Win
$2.25 (1.5 Units)
