We have crossed over the halfway mark of the 2022/23 A-League season and the competition remains as close as can be.
League leaders Melbourne City have dropped points in back to back outings, however they hold a five point advantage over the second placed Mariners.
It’s an incredibly tight battle for the top six amongst the remaining teams as we turn the corner, with eight points between Central Coast and 11th placed Newcastle.
We’ve got six fascinating clashes on call for the long weekend so read on and find our A-League tips below!
Two of the A-League’s most successful clubs will face off in their traditional January 26 fixture with both desperate for a much more successful second half of the campaign.
Melbourne’s struggles are much publicised with their Round 1 win over the Sky Blues in Sydney easily the high point of their season so far.
As for Sydney, with just four points from their last six matches the pressure continues to mount on a side that just is not producing at the level many expect them to.
With the Victory shorthanded through injuries, transfers and suspensions, it’s tough to back them with any confidence and there are plenty of red flags surrounding the visitor’s form of late as well.
Play it down the middle and back a draw as both teams are likely going to be very desperate to avoid another loss.
Fresh off holding the league leaders to a scoreless draw, Brisbane heads to the Hunter to take on a Jets side that is winless in its last four.
With the Roar winning three of their last four against the Novocastrians, there is a real case to be made for the visitors.
However with their attack still undermanned (at the time of writing), it’s tough to see where the goals are going to come from.
They have scored just twice in 360 minutes of football and the Jets attacking stats paint a similar picture.
Neither side appears to be overly potent in attack with a combined 21 goals on the season between them.
Which makes the price on unders somewhat surprising, especially given the Roar’s impressive rearguard efforts, conceding just 10 goals through 13 matches.
A second distance derby in five weeks sees the Glory get a break from their run of home games to travel all the way to Wellington.
Their pre-Christmas meeting ended in a 1-1 stalemate but Perth has been a different team on the road with just one win from seven matches this season.
That plays right into the hands of the Nix who have won their last three including a fiery encounter with the Mariners last weekend.
Add in the fact they are unbeaten in their last six against the Glory with four wins in that span and we should see them find a way to outscore the visitors.
It’s been a tumultuous week for Macarthur with the departure of Dwight Yorke following last week’s loss to Adelaide.
In his place comes ex Socceroos winger Mile Sterjovski for his first foray into senior professional management.
He has a tough task in front of him with the Bulls in the midst of a poor run of results that has seen them pick up just three points from their last four matches.
Western United left it late against Sydney FC last week, but when you have a player of the calibre of Alessandro Diamanti to call on in a situation like that, it sets you up very well in most matches.
There is a chance that a new manager provides a boost for Macarthur but it’s hard to justify why the Bulls are favoured here.
Take the value on the visitors.
It was a frustrating trip to Wellington for the Mariners last week with the side falling to the Nix, but they are well placed to bounce back at home against the Wanderers here.
Having won two of the last three meetings between the clubs and with a real sense of belief coming into Gosford, they know they have to keep winning to stay within touching distance of Melbourne City.
The Wanderers sit just two points behind them on the ladder and would love to be able to find a way to close that gap, but with one win from their last five matches, consistency is a big question over Marko Rudan’s side.
If the Mariners attack gets going early, it’s tough to see the Wanderers having the wherewithal to keep pace.
Should we be starting to panic about Melbourne City?
By their incredibly lofty standards, the reigning premiers are in a massive slump, settling for successive draws against Western Sydney and Brisbane.
This match against Adelaide might not be coming at the best time considering they have only defeated the Reds in 90 minutes twice in the last 15 meetings dating back to the 2018/19 season.
While Melbourne City had the last laugh in their most recent meeting, they did need extra time to advance in their semi final second leg back in May.
There is every chance that a return to AAMI Park brings about a return to form, but with the way Adelaide has had their number of late and the scrappy quality of the Reds, the value is there to back the visitors to come away with something.