The 2024-25 A-League season continues this weekend with Round 12! All 12 clubs are in action with games spanning across four days (Friday-Monday). There are a number of juicy fixtures to look forward to with Saturday night’s Victory vs Wanderers clash arguably the juiciest. We bring you our best bet for that fixture plus more below!
A-League Round 12 Preview & Betting Tips
Melbourne City vs Wellington Phoenix
AAMI Park, Friday 3rd January, 5:00pm AEDT
Melbourne City hosts Wellington Phoenix at AAMI Park on Friday night in a match with plenty on the line. City is still searching for their first home win of the season, a surprising stat for a team known for their dominance. Despite their struggles at home, City has shown glimpses of the quality that has made them a consistent force in the league, and this match presents a prime opportunity to turn things around.
Wellington Phoenix face a significant challenge as they try to end a decade-long winless streak at this venue. While they’ve shown resilience in recent matches, their form on the road has often been inconsistent. Phoenix will need to stay compact defensively and be clinical on the counter-attack to have a chance of upsetting their hosts. However, their historical struggles at AAMI Park weigh heavily, and they’ll need a near-flawless performance to break the curse.
Melbourne City has dominated this fixture in recent years, winning three of the last four meetings, and they’ll be confident of continuing that trend. Despite some injury setbacks, they’ve shown the depth and adaptability needed to grind out results, and I expect them to come away with a much-needed win here.
Melbourne City to Win
$1.72 (2 Units)
Newcastle Jets vs Sydney FC
McDonald Jones Stadium, Saturday 4th January, 5:00pm AEDT
Newcastle Jets will be aiming to turn their home form around when they face Sydney FC at McDonald Jones Stadium. The Jets have struggled to pick up wins at home this season, with a 0/2 record at McDonald Jones Stadium and 0/3 record at home overall. Despite this, they’ll be determined to put on a strong show for their supporters and break their home losing streak.
Sydney FC comes into the match full of confidence after a dominant 3-0 win over Melbourne Victory. Their attacking strength has been evident, and they’ll be keen to build on that result. Sydney’s possession-based style and ability to break down defences should be a key factor in this encounter. They were solid defensively last outing, and have now banged in nine goals across their past three matches.
While Newcastle Jets will be hoping to use their energy and home advantage to disrupt Sydney's rhythm, the visitors’ quality across the pitch and recent momentum makes them the deserving favourites. I expect them to build on last outings win against Victory with another three points on the road in this one.
Sydney FC to Win
$1.80 (2 Units)
Melbourne Victory vs Western Sydney Wanderers
AAMI Park, Saturday 4th January, 7:35pm AEDT
Western Sydney Wanderers will face Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park in an exciting Saturday night clash that promises plenty of action. The Wanderers come into this having been strong in attack, scoring goals regularly, but they’ve also been vulnerable defensively. Their defensive frailties have been a concern this season, and they’ll need to improve in that area if they want to challenge Melbourne Victory.
Melbourne Victory, on the other hand, come into this match having not won in their last three matches. Their form has been inconsistent, and although they’ve been solid defensively, they’ve struggled to convert that into victories. Their attack has lacked the cutting edge recently, and they’ll need to find their rhythm in front of goal.
This game is expected to be high-scoring, purely due to how chaotic the Wanderer’s fixtures have been of late. Seven of their past eight A-League fixtures have seen 4+ goals scored, and six of them have had 5+ goals scored. It’s anyone’s guess as to who comes away with the points in this one, but it should certainly be an entertaining game with plenty of chances in front of goal.
Over 3.5 Goals
$2.50 (1.5 Units)
