We enter into the final six weeks of the A-League season with plenty left to play for!
Round 21 gets underway in spectacular fashion, as the comp’s two in-form outfits in Adelaide and Wellington prepare to duke it out.
Elsewhere, Sydney FC hosts the Wanderers in a highly anticipated Derby, Macarthur plots for revenge against City, and the Victory bid to jump clear of the foot of the table with a win against the Mariners.
Our in-house A-League Authority has taken the reigns this week, providing his best Round 21 betting plays below!
2nd plays 5th, as Adelaide hosts Wellington in the opening fixture of round 21.
The Phoenix are searching for their third league win on the trot and a fifth straight game without defeat (3W,1D), an undefeated streak only bettered by Adelaide United (5W,4D)!
Surprisingly, United have only managed one clean sheet across their nine-game unbeaten run, relying on their lethal attack to dig them out of trouble.
I can’t see much separating these two sides in the way of form, as such I’m more than happy to back the pair to play out their fourth draw in six meetings.
Both Newcastle and Perth are desperate for a win here to keep in touch with the top six.
The Jets are staring down the barrel of four straight defeats, conceding nine goals across their last three games!
Meanwhile, the Glory snapped a six-game winless streak (3D,3L) last time out with a victory over the Wanderers at home.
Both sides are in horrible nick at the moment, though Perth’s horrendous away form (1W,1D,8L) has me leaning toward the Jets in this one.
Western United FC is looking to crack into the top six with their fourth league win on the fly.
They’ll take on a Brisbane side whose season is on the brink of collapse, after winning just one of their previous ten games (2D,7L)!
All the momentum is with the traveling side here, and I’m more than happy to jump on them at what looks to be huge overs in the H2H market.
All form goes out the window as we get set for the always-heated Sydney Derby!
Both sides enter this fixture off the back of a defeat, Sydney FC was outclassed by Wellington, while the Wanderers were surprised by Perth.
Nothing has separated this pair across their last four meetings, staking claim to two wins a piece!
Despite playing out several thrilling contests, goals have been tough to come by in this Derby, with 10 of the last 12 meetings finishing with under 2.5 total goals.
I’m happy to steer clear of the H2H market once again, especially with the value on offer taking the unders!
With just one win in four starts (3L), Macarthur’s final aspirations are beginning to waiver.
To make matters worse they have been dealt a fixture against league leaders Melbourne City this weekend, the same Melbourne City side which belted them 6-1m last time out!
Although I’m backing the home side to put up more of a fight this time around, I still have the soon-to-be minor prems winning this one comfortably.
Round 21 wraps up on Sunday afternoon when cellar dwellers Melbourne Victory play host to Central Coast.
Just three points behind Adelaide, the Mariners will be pushing hard to break into the top two here.
Meanwhile, Victory’s final dreams are all but dashed, leaving them with nothing but pride to play for.
Central Coast enters this game off the back of an impressive 4-1 display against Macarthur, a scoreline they are very capable of replicating on the road here.