Matchweek 13 is here and all 12 A-League teams do battle in fixtures from Friday all the way through to Monday.
The Central Coast Mariners continue to lead the league while Melbourne Victory continue to struggle at the bottom of the table.
We’ve syphoned through every game this weekend and passed off our suggested bets for a big weekend of A-League.
Melbourne City vs. Central Coast Mariners
March 22nd 7:05pm
Melbourne City and the Central Coast Mariners prepare for a Monday night corker at AAMI Park in what looks set to be one of the most exciting games this season.
The Mariners, under Alen Stajcic, have been brilliant through their 12 games thus far to sit atop of the A-League table (eight wins, a draw and three losses).
City head coach Patrick Kisnorbo has also found his feet this year as the 2020 grand-finalist look to continue its four-game winning streak in front of its home fans tonight.
Jamie Maclaren has continued to be the focal point up front for City after he banged home a brace in the 3-0 thumping of Macarthur last week.
The double took his goal tally this season to 10 and has made him outright leader in the goalscoring table.
Central Coast had to settle for its first draw of the season with a 2-2 parity against Perth as veteran Matt Simon and Marco Urena found the back of the net.
At the head to head, City look shocking value but its hard to see them dropping a game at home with the form it is currently in.
Draw looks over the odds here.
Prediction: Melbourne City 1 Central Coast Mariners 1
Suggested Bet: Draw head to head at $4
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Marco Urena to score anytime
Leg 2: Jamie Maclaren to score anytime
Combined odds = $4.75
Wellington Phoenix vs. Melbourne Victory
Wednesday March 24th 7:05pm
A bottom of the ladder clash ensues on Wednesday evening when last-placed Melbourne Victory venture to WIN Stadium for a clash against third-last Wellington Phoenix.
The Phoenix have had it tough this season.
Health and safety protocols surrounding the A-League has meant it cannot play a home game in New Zealand which would have been a distinct advantage.
However, the same cannot be said about Melbourne Victory who have been abysmal since the beginning of its 2020/21 campaign.
What may provide the navy blue and white with some solace is its most recent win in the league was against the Phoenix.
A 2-0 triumph back on February 24th at AAMI Park was the second win of the season for Victory but its been followed up by a spate of terrible results leading into this game.
The worst of those being a 6-0 hiding at the hands of cross-town rival Melbourne City and then the most recent being a 3-1 loss to Adelaide United.
Phoenix can easily reverse the result from a month ago and we expect them to do so here against a Victory squad void of confidence, form and talent.
Prediction: Wellington Phoenix 2 Melbourne Victory 1
Suggested Bet: Wellington Phoenix head to head at $1.75
Perth Glory vs. Sydney FC
Wednesday 24th March 9:20pm
Perth Glory return home to face Sydney FC after a disappointing stint in NSW ended with a 3-0 defeat to Western Sydney on Friday.
The Glory looked set to solidify its spot inside the top six but its last four fixtures have resulted in three losses and a draw to currently sit in ninth place on the table.
For the 2020 A-League champion it has been a rollercoaster year full of inconsistency.
Five wins, three draws and a loss sees the Sky Blues in sixth position with its two most recent fixtures resulting in a 2-1 win over Newcastle and a 2-0 win over Western United.
It will be intriguing to see how Steve Corica’s men cope with the travel to Perth and having not played a competitive match in a week-and-a-half.
The break is likely to have done them the world of good considering the last two fixtures were played within three days of each other.
However, the Glory have proven a tough team to bust through at NIB Stadium this year with the only blemish being a 2-1 loss to table toppers Central Coast.
Prediction: Perth Glory 2 Sydney FC 2
Suggested Bet: Draw at $3.60
