An action packed opening weekend of the A-League season gave fans plenty of joy, as Round 2 is headlined by a blockbuster Melbourne Derby. Another massive weekend of football is in store, and BeforeYouBet has you covered with our picks for all six games.
A-League 2024-25: Round 2 Preview & Betting Tips
Macarthur vs Newcastle Jets
Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Friday 25th October, 7:35pm AEDT
Round 2 kicks off in Campbelltown as Macarthur host Newcastle, with the home side looking to continue their form after a dominant performance to begin their season. The Bulls equalled the A-League record margin at half time with a 5-0 lead, en route to a 6-1 victory. The win was the biggest in Macarthur’s history, who had five different goal scorers.
Newcastle went down 1-0 against Melbourne City in Round 1, with Marco Tilio’s goal in the second minute enough to separate the two teams. It was a frustrating result for the Jets given how even the game was, and they’ll be desperate to bounce back in this fixture.
Macarthur have a slight advantage in the head to head stakes, with a 4-4-3 record against Newcastle. The Jets showed the will be harder to face this season, however they simply don’t have the talent that Macarthur possesses, and they struggled badly away from home last season, winning just three of their fourteen away games. Macarthur will continue their hot start to the season.
Macarthur
$1.85 (1.5 Units)
Adelaide United vs Central Coast Mariners
Coopers Stadium, Saturday 26th October, 5:00pm AEDT
After having the bye in Round 1, Adelaide United begin their campaign at home against the defending champions. The Mariners began their season with a draw against the Victory, failing to capitalise on Melbourne going down to ten men in the 60th minute.
The Round 1 draw paired with a defeat mid week in the Asian Champions League has many doubting the Mariners, however their road record last season shows that they had the ability to get the job done under tough circumstances. Central Coast had a league best 8-2-3 record in away matches last season.
Central Coast have had the wood over Adelaide United, winning six of the last seven meetings between the two clubs. Adelaide United haven't scored against the Mariners since May 2023 with score lines of 2-0, 4-0, 3-0 and 2-0 across the last four games against Central Coast. The defending champions provide plenty of value against an Adelaide United side that finished 8th last season, and lost an abundance of players. The home side haven’t improved, and the defending champions will bounce back with a win against a side they have dominated over the past few years.
Central Coast Mariners
$2.90 (1 Unit)
Melbourne City vs Melbourne Victory
AAMI Park, Saturday 26th October, 7:35pm AEDT
The match of the weekend takes place at AAMI Park on Saturday night with the 46th instalment of the Melbourne Derby. Patrick Kisnorbo faces his old side in just his second game in charge of Victory, who are coming off a gritty 0-0 draw against the Mariners. City picked up a 1-0 win in a solid yet uninspiring start to their season, with this game set to tell us a lot about both sides.
There will be plenty of feeling in this clash, especially given Victory ended City’s season on penalties in the Elimination Final in their last matchup. Melbourne Victory will likely want to make this a dour affair given their struggles to adjust to Kisnorbo’s new game plan, so if they can stop City getting pace on the ball, they will be able to control proceedings.
The Melbourne Derby has been a cagey affair over the past few seasons, with three of the last four meetings between the two sides tied after 90 minutes. The Victory played in the most draws in the league last season (12), and given how both teams looked in Round 1, a draw is the most likely outcome in this clash.
Perth Glory vs Wellington Phoenix
HBF Park, Saturday 26th October, 9:35pm AEDT
The worst team of last season picked up right where they left off, as the Perth Glory were annihilated 6-1 in their opening game of the season. Next up for the Glory is the ‘Distance Derby’ as Wellington make the mammoth journey to the other side of Australia, on the back of a 1-1 draw against Western United.
Perth lost the shot count 21-7, gave up 13 shots on target and managed just 31% possession in what is set to be another long year for the Glory. Perth are winless from their last seven games in the A-League, and haven’t beaten Wellington in Perth since 2020.
Despite failing to win against Western United, the Phoenix will be full of confidence heading to Perth given what the Glory dished up last week. If Wellington can deny supply to Adam Taggart, then the Glory don’t have a chance of winning this matchup. The Phoenix will pick up their first win of the season in comfortable fashion.
Wellington Phoenix
$2.30 (2 Units)
Auckland FC vs Sydney FC
Go Media Stadium, Sunday 27th October, 2:00pm AEDT
The new kids on the block had the dream start, with a 2-0 win over Brisbane Roar giving Auckland FC an excellent debut result. Auckland were threatening in attack registering 16 shots on goal despite only having 41% possession, however they were wonderfully organised in defence and showed plenty of ability to generate attacking opportunities with slick ball movement.
Sydney FC started their campaign with a Derby win over the Wanderers, with goals to Joe Lolley and Patryk Klimala giving the Sky Blues a well deserved win on the road. Sydney FC now have the challenge of backing up across the ditch against an Auckland side that is riding high after last week.
It’s easy to get caught up in the romanticism around Auckland FC, however the reality is that they beat a pretty ordinary Brisbane Roar side. The Sky Blues have the best side in the competition on paper, and will only get better with more continuity for their new signings. Although they had to travel to Japan midweek for their AFC Cup game, they have enough squad depth to make it two wins from two to start the season.
Sydney FC
$2.15 (2 Units)
Western United vs Western Sydney Wanderers
Ironbark Fields, Sunday 27th October, 4:00pm AEDT
Round 2 wraps up in Western Victoria as the Wanders travel south to take on Western United. Western United would’ve been very pleased to take away a point from their opening round trip to Wellington, while the Wanderers come into this matchup off the back of a disappointing loss in the Sydney Derby.
This is the toughest match of the weekend to pick, but an interesting factor at play is how poor Western United were at home last season, and how good Western Sydney were away from home. The Wanderers had the second best away record in the league (7-2-5) while Western United had the second worst home record (3-2-9).
The Wanderers have won three of their last four games against Western United and will be desperate to bounce back after losing to Sydney FC last week. This game could go either way given the inconsistent nature of both sides, but the Wanderers will grind their way to their first win of the season.
Western Sydney Wanderers
$2.15 (1 Unit)
