A-League Tips Round 16

A-League Tips & Preview Round 16

Newcastle v Brisbane – (Fri 7:50pm)The Jets took their time to get going in the F3 Derby midweek but pounced with two late goals once Josh Rose was sent off. The result may have been a good one for Ernie Merrick’s side but they were outplayed for the most part and will now lose Champness to Olyroos duty. The Wolf says there is no need to be alarmed just yet, especially with a match at home to Brisbane. The Roar were made to look second rate by Sydney FC and have now lost 4 of their last 5. The Wolf would like to give a shout out to Khalfallah whose effort has been tremendous but he just isn’t getting enough help. The Jets have won 3 of the last 4 meetings and have scored in 9 straight matches against Brisbane. The Wolf will continue to fade the Roar.
Best Bet: Newcastle WIN ($1.72)
Value Bet: Teams To Score – Newcastle Only ($3.30)

Wellington v Western Sydney – (Sat 5:35pm)
The Phoenix won their second match of the season but The Wolf is not giving them any credit for it. Rhys Williams was sent off in the 8th minute but it didn’t stop a 10 man Victory side from taking the lead. The Nix eventually got back on level terms and claimed a late winner but they hardly dominated. Meanwhile the Wanderers should have made it 4 wins in their last 5 but conceded late against Adelaide. The Wanderers have 3 wins and a draw in the last 4 meetings between the two sides with at least 4 goals in 4 of the last 5 clashes. It has rained goals at Westpac Stadium this season and most of them have come from the visiting sides. There have been a total of 31 goals in Wellington’s last 6 home games at a rate of more than 5 per game! Goals, goals, and more goals.
Best Bet: Over 3.5 goals ($2.75)
Value Bet: Over 4.5 goals ($5.00)

Melbourne Victory v Perth – (Sat 7:50pm)Wolfy says to sweep the Victory’s midweek loss under the carpet. They took the lead despite being down to 10 men and the two goals they conceded came from a keeper error and an own goal. They will be without Rhys Williams for a fortnight but that is nowhere near as bad a what the Glory face. They have now lost 3 in a row and done so by a combined scoreline of 11-0! They offered very little against City and have been unable to take control of the centre of the park. Their inability to keep possession has prevented them from using Keogh and Taggart which has The Wolf concerned. Milligan and Troisi will dominate which will allow them to use the pace of their dynamic wingers – Barbarouses and George. From there they will look to none other than Besart Berisha – the man that has scored at least once in each of the last 6 meetings! There can only be one result.
Best Bet: Melbourne Victory WIN ($1.61)
Value Bet: Melbourne Over 2.5 goals ($2.75)

Central Coast v Melbourne City – (Sun 5:00pm)
Melbourne City are the most unique team in the A-League in terms of style. The majority of teams in the league look to get the ball into wide areas and push numbers forward. City are very different in that they build on the back of their defence, are patient in attack and look to capitalise on set pieces. Capitalise on opportunities is something that McCormack has done better than any other player in the A-League. He has 12 goals this season including 5 in his last 3. A significant chunk of his goals have come from dead ball scenarios – exquisite free kicks and perfectly taken penalties. City will need much of the same if they are to collect all 3 points in this one. Under Paul Okon the Mariners are a possession based team and as we saw against the Jets they are able to starve their opponents of possession. Translating possession into goal scoring opportunities has been a big issue for them and against a defensive opponent that will continue. The Under is 7-0 in the Mariners last 7 and they have scored just 2 goals in that stretch. A single goal from McCormack separated the two sides when they last met and The Wolf says 1 goal from either side will be good enough for the win.
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals ($2.15)
Value Bet: Under 1.5 goals ($4.25)

Adelaide v Sydney FC – (Sun 7:00pm)
It’s not as if Sydney FC need any favours but the draw has been kind to them over the last fortnight. They had addition days rest to Brisbane in their last game and will have 2 more days that Adelaide for this one. As we have seen already this season Sydney will run right over teams in the closing stages and The Wolf can see exactly that taking place in the city of churches. The Sky Blues have won 4 straight on the road including three clean sheets. They have also maintained 4 consecutive clean sheets in the last 4 A-League meetings between he sides with the Reds unable to solve the puzzle that is the Sydney defence. The Wolf is almost shocked at the price on offer for Sydney FC and says they should be much shorter than $1.75. They have shown their superiority against Adelaide and there is a widening gap between the league leaders and the rest of the competition – both in terms of points on the ladder and quality. Sydney are firing on all cylinders with 23 goals in a 6 game span. The show that is Sydney FC will continue.
Best Bet: Sydney FC WIN ($1.75)
Value Bet: Sydney FC Win Both Halves ($4.20)

Best Bets Round 16

Best Bet: Sydney FC WIN ($1.75)
Best Value Bet: Melbourne Victory Over 2.5 goals ($2.75)