The first round of competition returned several great performances and a few surprise results, and Week 2 of the A-League looks set to be another exciting affair.
Adelaide will host Newcastle in the weekend-opener on Friday night, but the match of the round is sure to take place on Saturday night when the Sky Blues and Wanderers lock horns in another Sydney Derby.
An intriguing start to Week 2 will see a credible Adelaide outfit host last season’s grand finalist, the Newcastle Jets.
Adelaide produced an impressive 90-minute performance to draw with Sydney FC at home and they’ll take plenty of benefit into this match with what is arguably a weaker opponent.
The Jets barely fired a shot first-up in Wellington and they will be eager to do something here, to prove that last season was not just a fluke. Dimitri Petratos’ 95th-minute strike was something of a consolation, but a repeat of that performance would see them lose again.
Adelaide look like a club with plenty of upside and I am happy to take the $2.10 on offer in head-to-head betting.
The Mariners will probably face a big task in every other club this season, but they are charged with overcoming a particularly stern task in the form of Melbourne City on Saturday.
With the Usain Bolt situation again taking centre stage this week, The Mariners will be eager to build off a quality Week 1 performance that resulted in a credible draw with the Brisbane Roar away from home. Having converted in only the fourth minute, the Mariners were probably unlucky not to take all three points and with improvement, they can put a challenge for the star-studded City.
City were all but forgotten in betting for last weekend’s Melbourne Derby but stamped their class again with a 2-1 win over big brother. They are a live premiership threat and are primed for another big performance this week.
The Sydney Derby has fast become one of the standout fixtures in the A-League and we’re set for another thrilling edition on Saturday night. Both clubs managed draws in Week 1 and will be eager to take all three points away from their fierce rivals.
The Sky Blues have clearly been the league benchmark through the last two seasons and they are eager to lift a fourth championship trophy this time, after their shock exit in last season’s semis. A win over the Wanderers would do plenty not only for their position on the ladder, but also their confidence.
The Wanderers didn’t appear to stand much chance against the Glory in Perth first-up, but they did extremely well to fight back into the match in the second half and ultimately, find an equaliser. They will be quietly confident of getting the result over Sydney as outsiders.
There’s enough meat on the bone for Sydney to win and I think that they will, in a tight one.
There’s plenty of value to be found in betting for Sunday’s clash between the Roar and Wellington Phoenix in Brisbane.
The Roar managed to pull back from an early deficit against the Mariners last weekend and while it was anything but a memorable first-up performance, they’ll surely take improvement into this match.
The Phoenix pulled off the upset of the round when they defeated last season’s grand finalists the Jets, and they were probably unlucky not to win 2-0 after conceding in injury time. A repeat of that performance would find them extremely difficult to beat again and they look to be huge overs in head-to-head better at their current price.
The final match of the week could also prove to be one of the best when the Glory travel east to play reigning champions the Melbourne Victory.
The Glory look capable of a huge season but were held to a draw by a desperate Wanderers side at home, last weekend. They’ll take plenty of benefit from the run and they do look big overs at their current $4.40 price.
The Victory were outdone by their crosstown rivals in Week 1, but they did show glimpses of a team that is capable of successfully defending their title. Their combinations with their new stars will continue to gel and an improvement from last weekend’s run would find them tough to beat at home.
There should be plenty of opportunities for both sides on-goal and I’m anticipating a high scorer.