The A-League regular season has come to an end and it’s now time for the finals! This weekend there are two elimination finals set to play out, with Wellington taking on Perth and Brisbane battling Western United. Check out our previews and betting tips for both finals below and good luck to everyone following.
A-League Betting Tips
Wellington Phoenix vs Perth Glory
Saturday August 22nd, 5pm (AEST)
Wellington Phoenix started off the season with four losses on the spin and it seemed as though they were taking a step back from last season’s sixth place finish; however, they’ve been great since Week 5 onwards and finished the regular season in third place. They’d probably be a bit disappointed with their play post-hiatus which cost them a top two finish and a double chance in the finals, but it’s still been a positive campaign for the Nix.
Perth Glory had a phenomenal campaign last season but weren’t quite able to back it up this time around. They were still able to finish inside the top six, but it’s very hard to see them reaching the Grand Final again this season. Glory have struggled since the restart, winning two and losing the other four of their six matches.
These clubs played three times in the regular season and it was Perth who had the better of this matchup with two wins and one loss, although Nix were winners in their most recent encounter. All three matchups have seen both teams score and 3+ goals.
While Glory were the better team in their meetings with Nix this season, they’re still really hard to fancy on the back of their post-hiatus form. It’s not the easiest fixture to predict a winner in, but we do lean towards Phoenix getting the job done and moving onto the next round of finals.
Brisbane Roar vs Western United
Sunday August 23rd, 6pm (AEST)
Brisbane Roar have been the big improvers this season, going from a second last finish on the ladder last campaign to finishing fourth this time around. They’ve been the masters of the close games and their defence is clearly their key to success. There are some legitimate concerns about their scoring power however, considering they averaged just 1.1 goals per game this season, which is the second worst scoring rate in the competition.
Western United are the new kids on the block and boy did they make a great impression in their inaugural A-League campaign. Finishing fifth on the ladder is a fantastic achievement for the new club and they only look to be getting better by the week. They scored at a rate of 1.8 goals per game in the regular season, which was the third best scoring rate in the league.
These clubs met just twice during the regular season and the results were split with one win apiece. Under 2.5 goals saluted on both occasions and so did the both teams NOT to score market.
Western United certainly love to find the back of the net and seem to do so regularly, but they come up against a stingy Brisbane Roar defence who play a very conservative brand. We expect both clubs to have their fair share of chances to win the match, but for it to be a low-scoring affair.
