A-League Tips Round 3

Adelaide v Melbourne – (Fri 7:50pm)Those who took the $41 about Johan Absalonsen for the Johnny Warren Medal will be licking their lips. He scored the equaliser which gave them a share of the points in Wellington and backed that up with the game winner against Brisbane last week. Two goals in the final minute gave the Reds all 3 points and is testament to their hard work on the training paddock. They now return to Adelaide for their first home game of the season and will face a Victory side with growing desperation. The international break disrupted Melbourne in the opening fortnight but zero points on the board is not an accurate reflection of their performance. Narrow losses to Sydney FC and City – two of the favourites will not discourage Kevin Muscat. The Victory have shown a great ability to maintain possession and control the game in midfield but their poor finishing has allowed teams to hit them on the counter. The Victory have an outstanding record against the Reds winning the last 3 and losing just 1 of the last 12. With Melbourne undefeated in their last 6 trips to the City Of Churches (2 wins, 4 draws) The Wolf is tipping them to grab a point.
Best Bet: Both Teams To Score – YES ($1.65)
Value Bet: Draw ($3.40)

Melbourne City v Wellington – (Sat 5:35pm)
The Phoenix showed plenty of resilience after going down 2-0 in the opening half hour against Sydney FC but The Wolf is concerned about their ability to lock down defensively. They have managed only 2 clean sheets in their last 14 matches and face a rampant Melbourne City. They looked in deep trouble when Fornaroli went down with a long term injury but the duo of Kamau and McCormack have been outstanding. Cahill made a late cameo which is a great sign that he will still be able to contribute late in games while Malik and Jakobsen should have no problems winning the midfield battle. City have won their last 4 against the Phoenix and with the Phoenix conceding multiple goals in 19 of their last 23 away games The Wolf knows who he wants to be on. City!
Best Bet: Over 2.5 & Melbourne City WIN ($1.90)
Value Bet: Melbourne City Over 2.5 goals ($2.60)

Sydney FC v Western Sydney – (Sat 7:50pm)The Wanderers ended Sydney FC’s unbeaten run last season on the back of some controversy with the win ending a 9 game winless run against their cross town rivals. There has been a common theme in the Sydney Derby since Graham Arnold took the helm at the Sky Blues. Their encounters have become more of a tactical battle rather than a game played at break neck speed from end to end. The Under is 4-2 as a result with a total of just 11 goals in the last 6 meetings. Sydney FC have started this season exactly how they finished last – winning. Mierzejewski and Ninkovic have been brilliant and the supply to Bobo and Brosque is endless. As good as they have been it is O’Neill and Brilliante who will play a more important role in this one. The quartet of Bonevacia, Jumpei, Cejudo and Riera have looked very dangerous in attack and containing them will be priority number one. Neither side will want to give an inch early and after seeing the scores ties at the break in 3 of the last 4 meetings look for that trend to continue.
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals ($2.05)
Value Bet: 1st Half Result – Draw ($2.15)

Brisbane v Newcastle – (Sun 5:00pm)
Paging John Aloisi… The Roar coach continues to downplay the sides poor performances and they were over-run by Adelaide last week at home. They failed to take their chances early and paid the ultimate price. He continues to refer to his sides ‘disrupted’ pre-season and The Wolf says they will continue to play catch up. Maccarone opened his A-League account with Khalfallah and Skapetis showing promise out wide. The latter has a great habit of being in the right place at the right time but he needs to work on his supply (passing and crossing) and his finishing. Converting opportunities is something their opponent has had no trouble with. The Jets have been terrible in attack in recent season but under Ernie Merrick they are becoming an offensive juggernaut. O’Donovan leads the league with 4 goals in his opening 2 games and has struck a formidable combination with Nabbout. The two sides have split the last 6 meetings right down the middle with 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses each. The Jets have had plenty of joy at Suncorp. They have scored in 6 straight matches at the ground and his has results in 3 wins, 2 draws and just the single loss. Brisbane will continue to struggle. 
Best Bet: Newcastle WIN ($3.10)
Value Bet: Newcastle Over 2.5 goals ($5.50)

Perth v Central Coast – (Sun 7:00pm)In case you missed go back and watch De Silva’s goals against the Wanderers last week. His movement off the ball followed by his run into space and the finish were absolutely sublime. There is no doubt that he is a star and one of the hot prospects in the A-League but we could see see him exist in the next transfer window. He has gone to the Mariners for game time and the chance to shine so expect more from him in the coming months. The suspension to Hoole will hurt them in midfield while the defence will have their work cut out for them trying to stop Keogh and Taggart who could be the highest scoring attacking duo in the competition this season. The Mariners have lost 7 of their last 10 away A-League matches and have claimed just a single point from their last 5 trips to the west. The Glory have found the net on 16 occasions in those matches and The Wolf has them running riot on the Mariners.
Best Bet: HT/FT – Perth/Perth ($2.35)
Value Bet: 1st Half Perth 3+ goals ($11.00)