The 2023-24 A-League home and away season is done and dusted and now only the elite remain. It’s elimination finals round this weekend with two fixtures on the schedule; one fixture is on Saturday night and the other on Sunday night. As always, we bring you our game previews and best bets for the weekend’s action below. Good luck to everyone following!
A-League Elimination Finals Preview & Betting Tips
Sydney FC vs Central Coast Mariners
Saturday 4th May, 7:45pm (AEST)
Sydney FC finished the home and away season in style, demolishing the lesser Perth Glory by a whopping six goals (7-1). They banged in three in the first half and four in the second to record by far their biggest win of the season to date.
Consistency has been a bit of an issue for the Sky Blues over the past couple of months however. They’ve failed to win back-to-back games since Week 17, and they’re the only team in the finals where that’s the case.
Elsewhere, Macarthur FC were well beaten by potential minor premiers in the Wellington Phoenix in their final game of the regular season (0-3). It was certainly a tough road fixture to finish up on, and one where they barely fired a shot.
However, the Bulls won each of their two previous fixtures and conceded only once across them, so they don’t have to look too far to find some of their better form.
On top of that, the Bulls have had the wood over the Sky Blues in recent outings, winning each of their last three clashes to nil. And with that being the case, it’s quite surprising to see them priced as huge underdogs. Although they’re the visiting team, the Bulls represent great value here.
Macarthur FC to Win
$5.75 (1 Unit)
Melbourne Victory vs Melbourne City
Sunday 5th May, 5:00pm (AEST)
Melbourne Victory would be disappointed with the way they finished the home and away season – winless in their last three fixtures despite being at home on two occasions. On top of that, their two most recent results were against teams that won’t be featuring in the finals.
However, the season as a whole has been a positive one for Victory. They were coming off a poor 2022-23 season and managed to fly up the standings and into contention this campaign.
In contrast, Melbourne City would be a touch disappointed with how their home and away season panned out considering how dominant they’ve been in recent years. They had to grind their way to a top six finish and were only two points ahead of the seventh placed Wanderers.
On a positive note, City finished the regular season in terrific form with wins in each of their last three fixtures. They scored a whopping eight goals against Glory three starts back, and only conceded once across the three games combined.
Although it’s a big step up in class compared to their recent opponents, City would be quietly confident based on their recent wins coupled with their experience in big finals over recent campaigns. They’re my pick to get one up on their rivals and move onto the semi’s.
Melbourne City to Win
$2.70 (2.5 Units)
