A-league Semi Finals Betting Tips
The 2015-16 A-league season continues this weekend as we have reached the semi final stages of the competition. The remaining four teams will be at their best as they are searching for a Grand Final appearance. Find our A-league Semi Finals Preview and Betting Tips below.
Adelaide United vs Melbourne City (Friday 7.45pm AEST)
Melbourne City will enter this match on the back of a 2-0 victory in the Elimination Final against Perth Glory. That match saw City dominate the majority of the contest, as they were by far the more dangerous side whilst their improved defence was on display as they held the Glory scoreless. City finished the regular season with by far the best attack in the league as they found the back of the net on 63 occasions. A lot of that can be credited to Bruno Fornarolli who was credited for 23 of those goals. He scored both goals for City against Glory on the weekend with a spectacular bicycle kicks as well as a beautifully finished free kick from just outside the box. The combination between the striker and Socceroo Aaron Mooy has been evident all season as Mooy’s playmaking ability and vision has been able to put Fornarolli in great positions to capitalise and score his goals.
Meanwhile the Reds finished the season on top place despite their early season struggles. It took them until round 8 to register their first victory of the competition and they barely looked back as they rose up the ladder and went on the longest undefeated streak of any side this season. The Reds finished the competition with the best defence in the league and they were by far the most consistent side heading into the finals series.
It will be a great contest this weekend with the best attacking team going up against the best defensive team with the Reds having the advantage, as they will be playing on their home soil. History suggests that when the best attacking team matches up with the best defensive team, it is the defensive outfit that comes out on top. We will be sticking with history in this one as we expect the minor premiers to reach the Grand Final. We will also be backing a high scoring match as there have been 18 goals scored in the last five meetings between these two sides.
TIP: Adelaide United @ $2.00 with Sportsbet + Over 3.5 goals @ $2.58 with CrownBet
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Brisbane Roar (Sunday 5pm AEDT)
The Wanderers will head into this match after a week off and they will be full of confidence after finishing the season with two comfortable victories. However, those two wins did come against the bottom two sides of the competition in the Phoenix and Mariners. Nevertheless, it is always nice to be scoring goals and winning games, especially when you are about to head into a finals match. They will have the added advantage of playing in front of a home crowd and it will be a packed out stadium on the weekend. The Wanderers have an impressive record at Pirtek Stadium as they have lost just 2 of their last 12 home games and have won 8 and drawn 2.
However, the Roar has a strong record against the Wanderers as they have won five of their last seven A-league matches between the two sides. They will also be looking to get their leading goal scorer Jamie MaClaren involved as he has scored five goals in three matches against the Western Sydney side this season and has a total tally of 18. The Roar have a remarkable record in finals matches and they kept that run going as they overcame a goal deficit in the final minutes against the Victory to win the match in entertaining fashion.
We will be backing with history again in this one and sticking with the Roar to continue their impressive record against the Wanderers. The week off will have the Wanderers coming out slow whilst they have been inconsistent over the past two months of competition and only have wins against lower teams in the competition.
TIP: Roar @ $3.75 with Ladbrokes
