Matchday 5 of the A-League season is underway from Friday and I know I sound like a broken record, but there is a lot to like about these well-matched fixtures.
Western United continued their excellent start to existence by beating the Victory last weekend, and I think they’ll contest the match of the round again when they host the undefeated Wanderers on Saturday night.
The performances mustered by these two clubs in Round 4 suggested that the match of the week could materialise straight up on Friday evening.
There is no denying that City boasts a talented squad, they just haven’t really been able to put it together enough to go all the way these last few seasons. There was a lot to like about the way they put away a credible Wellington Phoenix on Sunday afternoon and they should take plenty of confidence from the result.
The Mariners pulled off one of the upsets of the season so far by beating the Glory in Perth and they have subsequently climbed to sixth on the ladder. I think that they are a lot better than they are given credit for, and I think they are every chance of doing something here as well.
The winless Jets will host a slow-starting Perth Glory on Saturday afternoon and for those reasons, we’ll probably be treated to a competitive fixture.
The Jets first-up draw against the Mariners now looks a decent result given what that club has since done, but there is no hiding from the fact that they’ve lost two on the trot and need to improve enormously, if they are any chance of doing anything this season.
For a club that were probably a good thing beaten for last season’s Championship, the Glory have been slow from the blocks. One win from four starts wouldn’t have been what they were aiming for, while they’ll surely be hurting after the shock loss to the Mariners.
This does loom as a great opportunity for the Glory to get back onto the right foot. If they can’t win this, things might be an awful lot worse than they appear.
We’re set for a thrilling contest when Derby heroes Western United host the second-placed Wanderers on Saturday.
Western United’s terrific start continued with a memorable win over the Victory in last weekend’s Derby. I don’t think that opponent is going to enjoy a particularly glittering season, but for a brand-new franchise to handle the pressure and get the result in a match as big as that one speaks volumes.
The Wanderers were kept scoreless by the Brisbane Roar, in what was their worst performance of the season so far. Their three wins prior were excellent, but they’ll need to immediately re-find that form to stem Western United’s run. They are over the odds in head-to-head betting, but I think that this has draw written all over it.
An interesting match will see the Melbourne Victory host the Wellington Phoenix in the first of two Sunday A-League fixtures.
Losses for both clubs in Round 4 adds even more to this one and while we are only in the early stages of the season, things are already beginning to look dire for both.
In a nutshell, the Victory have not been good, and they are under the odds to win this at $1.83. The Phoenix were unlucky not to take anything from their match with City last week, and I am happy to take the value for them to win.
Fresh off the bye, Adelaide United will return home on Sunday evening to face a credible Brisbane Roar side.
Two unfortunate losses to good sides launched their campaign, but the Reds finally broke through for a well-deserved win over the Jets in Week 3. I think that they could go one of two ways here; build off that result with another win or lose all momentum after the bye.
The Roar have stolen draws in two of their three games and to their credit, I didn’t think they’d be capable of doing even that. They showed plenty of resolve to halt the Wanderers’ winning run of form last week and a repeat of that effort would see them a stern task for Adelaide as well.