A-League Round 15 betting tips, top odds & best value bets

After another wild weekend that featured 25 goals across six games, can we expect more fireworks from round 15 of the A-League? With the race for the top three spots heating up, all eyes will be on Melbourne City when they host Macarthur FC at AAMI Park, the Central Coast tackling Sydney FC at Allianz Arena, and Wanderers welcoming Western United to CommBank Stadium.

Melbourne Victory v Wellington Phoenix

Friday, February 3 — 7:45pm AEDT
AAMI Park, Melbourne

There may have been no crowd trouble, but the depressing season for the Melbourne Victory ($2.15) continued in round 14. The home side was no match for fellow strugglers Sydney FC, and Victory now sit alone and isolated at the bottom of the table. Jake Brimmer got the home side off to a bright start with a goal in the 26th minute, but Sydney hit back with strikes in the 32nd and 52nd to pile more misery on the hapless Victory. It is hard to imagine this form is going to miraculously reverse course and we must continue to tip against Tony Popovic’s side until signs of life emerge from their disastrous campaign.

Wellington Phoenix ($3.50) let two premiership points slip in round 14 with an unlikely home draw against the Glory. The Phoenix found the net twice in the first half and were comfortably protecting a 2-1 lead until Tim Payne incurred a straight red card in the 56th minute. This opened the door for a late equalizer, which the in-form David Williams duly delivered with 10 minutes left on the clock. While the outcome was a touch disappointing, Wellington continue to play positive, attacking football and are enjoying a standout season.

Melbourne City v Macarthur FC

Saturday, February 4 — 5pm AEDT
AAMI Park, Melbourne

Melbourne City’s ($1.42) mini slump continues after the league leaders were held to their third consecutive draw. Rado Vidosic’s side looked somewhat ragged in defence and were fortunate to emerge with the point after Adelaide cut them up with three first half goals. The game was not decided until the 92nd minute when Jamie Maclaren converted from the spot to round out an entertaining 3-3 result. City still hold a five-point buffer on the second placed Mariners but will be keen to get back in the winners’ circle.

Macarthur FC ($7) put up a solid effort for new coach Mile Sterjovski in round 14 with a hard fought 2-2 draw against Western United. They played most of the second period with 10 men after a pair of yellow cards saw Kearyn Baccus ejected from the pitch in the 49th minute. All four goals were scored in a wild second half and Macarthur looked impressive despite their numerical disadvantage. This, however, looks like a much sterner test.

Sydney FC v Central Coast Mariners

Saturday, February 4 — 5pm AEDT
Allianz Stadium, Sydney

Sydney FC ($1.95) showed glimpses of their best football against the Victory in round 14, and the winning goal by Adam Le Fondre was the culmination of some deft teamwork. They now need to bring such effort to longer portions of the game and avoid the defensive lapses that have cost them all season and seen them concede 23 goals across 14 matches. Winning form is good form and the squad might ride a little wave of confidence into this fixture.

The second-placed Mariners ($3.40) played a tight, finals-like game in round 14 versus the third-placed Wanderers. The 2-2 scoreline has a reasonable reflection of the action across a seesawing night of A-League football. The Central Coast cannot afford to slip up here with the Wanderers a mere two points in arrears. They beat Sydney in round eight and will be looking to further assert their dominance with an away win here.

Adelaide United v Brisbane Roar

Saturday, February 4 — 7:15pm ACDT
Coopers Stadium, Adelaide

Adelaide United ($2.10) produced their most impressive performance of the season in round 14 and were unlucky not to beat Melbourne City at AAMI Park. United hustled harder than their opponents all game and broke down the competition’s best defence on three occasions. This effort was a surprise given the boys from South Australia have been patchy away from home throughout the campaign. If they can produce that type of intensity here, they might just steamroll the Roar.

The infamous Brisbane Roar ($3.50) defensive wall came tumbling down in round 14 when the side was humbled 4-0 by the Jets. It is hard to draw any positives from the game from a Roar perspective and the team looked completely out of sorts in the second half when the goals started pouring in. While we can forgive the occasional slipup, another fixture away from home might see Brisbane struggle again after such a calamitous evening.

Perth Glory v Newcastle Jets

Saturday, February 4 — 7:30pm AWST
Macedonia Park, Perth

Perth Glory ($2.35) emerged from the long trip to New Zealand with a precious yet unlikely premiership point following one of the games of the season. Perth were up for the challenge and scored the second and fourth goals in a titanic struggle. The effort defied the Glory’s poor away record and they should be fired up for this matchup back at their beloved Macedonia Park. They now sit on 18 points, a mere three points adrift the third placed Wanderers and with plenty to play for.

After successive uncharacteristic draws, the Newcastle Jets ($3.10) unleashed their best attacking efforts in round 14 with a four-goal romp against the starstruck Roar. Scoring duties were evenly shared among the unselfish squad and we were taken with the last-minute heroics of Archie Goodwin, who only entered the match in the 85th minute but still managed to get his name on the scoresheet. Jaushua Sotirio was another standout effort in the blockbuster performance.

Western Sydney Wanderers v Western United

Sunday, February 5 — 3pm AEDT
CommBank Stadium, Parramatta

Western Sydney Wanderers ($2.10) kept their top-three hopes alive with a pleasing display against the Mariners in round 14. We have noticed that Western Sydney possess a tendency to match their efforts of their opponents rather than go in for the kill. This is displayed in their season stats with 16 goals for and 14 goals against. They have drawn six games out of 14, with at least three of those being missed winning opportunities. That said, they are a very hard side to beat and should prevail in this derby.

After a tough start to their campaign, Western United ($3.40) have steadied in recent weeks. Their last three outings have displayed a resilience and consistency that must please coaching staff. They still have the competition’s worst defensive numbers following blowouts against the Mariners in round four, Adelaide in round five, and City in round 11, but can fight hard when a game hangs in the balance. This will be a big test to see how long they can match the output of a superior team.

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