A-League Week 24 Preview

A-League Week 24 Preview

There’s only four weeks remaining in the A-League regular season and results of some matches in Week 24 could prove vital.

Week 24 of the A-League is underway in style on Friday night when Adelaide United hosts the exciting Newcastle Jets.

Adelaide United vs Newcastle Jets
Jets to Win ($3)

Friday night’s match between Adelaide United and the Newcastle Jets looms as the standout fixture in Week 24 of the A-League.

Adelaide snapped a disappointing losing streak by drawing with a smart Melbourne City outfit last weekend and they should take plenty of benefit from the run into this match. The Reds actually had far less possession and fewer shots on target than their more-favoured rivals, but took the lead heading into half-time and did extremely well to withstand the City barrage.

The Jets’ outstanding season continued with a 1-0 win over the Phoenix in Wellington and they took another step towards Sydney FC in overall standings as a result. The young Newcastle side looks every part a Championship threat and they can all but lock in a home final with a win over Adelaide.

The Jets were our Best Bet in last weekend’s A-League preview and they are over the odds at their current price. They can notch another win on the road against the Reds.

Central Coast Mariners vs Sydney FC
Sydney to Cover Line (-1)

The Central Coast Mariners have a huge task ahead of them when they host the league-leading Sydney FC on Saturday afternoon.

Central Coast’s already disappointing season was thrown even further into turmoil this week when manager Paul Okon parted ways with the club and it would not be surprising to see a team without their minds completely on the job in Week 24.

Sydney FC suffered an extremely disappointing loss to the Brisbane Roar in Week 23 and their commanding lead over the rest of the competition was subsequently cut three competition points by Newcastle. The Sky Blues were simply unable to reel the Roar back in after conceding two early goals from set pieces, but they did produce some typically-stellar football in patches and won’t have lost many admirers.

Sydney are a class above the Central Coast and they can easily win this match.

Melbourne City vs Western Sydney Wanderers
Draw ($3.50)

Saturday night’s meeting between City and Western Sydney in Melbourne is an intriguing one, given recent form and results.

City were leapfrogged in overall standings by bitter rivals the Victory last weekend and they are in serious danger of further plummeting out of contention, if they don’t snap a four-game losing streak soon. This is one of two potentially difficult games for the Melbourne club in the run to the finals.

The Wanderers had last weekend off and they will enter this match fresh, and off the back of a 4-1 thrashing of Wellington. That win capped a smart run of form for the league’s newest franchise, which has featured only one loss in their last six matches.

Both clubs have legitimate claims on this and it is tough to see either team taking the win.

best bet
Wellington Phoenix vs Brisbane Roar
Roar to Win ($2.05)

The Brisbane Roar will attempt to keep the pressure on the top six when they travel to New Zealand on Sunday.

The Roar kept their finals hopes alive with a shock win over Sydney FC last weekend and they will take plenty of confidence into this meeting with the league’s cellar-dwellers. Brisbane produced two outstanding set pieces to go 2-0 up early and did enough to take three points, despite conceding once. Brisbane remain within a win of the sixth-place Wanderers, but could need other results to go their way if they are to sneak into the finals.

The end of the season cannot come quick enough for the Phoenix and focus should have already shifted to a re-build, as well as the plans for their next campaign. They were handed another loss by the Jets in Week 23 and have won only four of their twenty-three matches this season.

Brisbane are desperate for points and they can take another three in a low scoring fixture on Sunday afternoon.

Perth Glory vs Melbourne Victory
Victory to Win ($1.95)

The final match of Round 24 will see the Victory travel to the nation’s west to play Perth Glory on Sunday evening.

Its been a largely inconsistent campaign for the Glory, but they are undefeated in their last three matches and are still capable of playing finals football, though unlikely. While NIB Stadium hasn’t been close to the cauldron of seasons gone by, the Perth team have still generally been at their best at home and they could prove to be over the odds at their current price.

The Victory have found a good run of form at the right point of the season and they took a big step towards a home final after leapfrogging City into third position last week. Kevin Muscat’s men were in a particularly devastating mood last weekend and put five past the hapless Mariners; subsequently improving their goal difference to third-best in the league.

The Victory are one of the formed teams of the league and they can take another three points away from the Glory.