A-League Round 19 betting tips & best odds – March 3-5, 2023

Round 19 of the A-League is headlined by a matchup between the third-placed Wanderers and second-placed Mariners. The other fixture with premiership implications is the round’s opening contest between ladder leaders Melbourne City and fourth-placed Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium, where the boys from SA have amassed an impressive record. Check out our free A-League betting tips for the weekend ahead.

Adelaide United v Melbourne City

Friday, March 3 — 7:45pm ACDT
Coopers Stadium, Adelaide

Adelaide grabbed a point from their road trip to AAMI Park to stay level on points with Wanderers and the Mariners. The 1-1 result against Victory stretched United’s unbeaten run to eight games, and they enter this fixture full of confidence. Adelaide’s form at home is superior to their efforts away from Coopers Stadium, and these teams most recently fought out a 3-3 draw when they met in Melbourne in round 14.

Melbourne City were pushed to produce their best effort in round 18 to fight out a 3-2 win over Sydney. The ladder leaders have had no trouble scoring and average 2.47 goals per game this campaign. They have only been defeated twice all season — in round four against Sydney FC, and in round 17 to Melbourne Victory. This will be a tough trip and City will need to produce their best football to take home the points.

Wellington Phoenix v Newcastle Jets

Saturday, March 4 — 1pm NZDT
Sky Stadium, Wellington

The Phoenix will relish a return to home soil following a gruelling month on the road that returned one win, one draw, and two losses. Wellington have only lost twice at home all campaign and will be confident of grabbing maximum points from this contest. These sides met in round three, when the Jets prevailed 3-1 at McDonald Jones Stadium.

Newcastle stumbled against Western United in round 18, going down 1-3 in a disappointing display. The defensive frailties that we saw early in the season returned and the Jets look disorganised and panicky at the back. The loss sees them sit seventh on the ladder, a mere point behind the fifth-placed Phoenix and four points adrift the second-placed Mariners.

Western United v Perth Glory

Saturday, March 4 — 5pm AEDT
Mars Stadium, Ballarat

Western United produced one of their better efforts in round 18 easily beating Jets and are favoured to win two on the trot against the travelling Glory. United’s season has been hampered by inconsistency and they have only won successive matches on one occasion. A purple patch of home form saw them topple Wanderers in round eight and Sydney FC in round nine, but maintaining this level of intensity has proven beyond them since.

Perth’s poor away form dogged them again in round 18 when they were beaten 2-1 at Kayo Stadium. They started brightly when Jack Clisby found the net in the 19th minute but were unable to maintain this advantage, conceding goals in the 28th and 45th minutes. The loss relegates them into wooden spoon territory, just two points above the bottom-placed Victory. Given their struggles away from Macedonia Park, the Glory might happily settle for a draw from this fixture.

Western Sydney Wanderers v Central Coast Mariners

Saturday, March 4 — 5pm AEDT
CommBank Stadium, Parramatta

After struggling to generate enough scoring opportunities all season, Wanderers have piled on eight goals in their last two appearances. They ran the hapless Macarthur ragged at CommBank Stadium prevailing 4-0 but will have a much tougher test against the Mariners. These teams are locked in a fight for ladder supremacy and are currently all square on 28 points. If Western Sydney can maintain their free-scoring ways, they can beat anyone in the competition.

Central Coast had the premiership points parcelled up against Wellington in round 18 with a 1-0 lead until a 94th-minute lapse allowed the Kiwis to square the ledger. The Mariners have scored in 17 of their 18 games this season and average exactly two goals per game. They have surpassed pre-season expectations and play an attractive, fan-friendly brand of football. Central Coast comfortably beat Wanderers 0-3 in round five at CommBank, and honours were split when the sides met in round 14. This shapes as the match of the round.

Sydney FC v Melbourne Victory

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

Sydney FC emerged from their blockbuster clash with Melbourne City with their dignity intact following a narrow 3-2 loss. The Sky Blues fought hard until the final whistle and will be bullish heading into this easier matchup. These sides met at Allianz in round one as the Victory were too strong and stole the points 2-3, but much has changed since.

The Victory split the points with Adelaide in round 18 in an improved display that continued their mini-revival after they took derby honours the week prior. This progress has not been enough to lift them off the bottom of the ladder, but fans will be encouraged by the uptick. This stern contest will measure the strength of the recent improvement.

Macarthur FC v Brisbane Roar

Sunday, March 5 — 5pm AEDT
Campbelltown Stadium, Campbelltown

Macarthur FC did themselves no favours in round 18 when Craig Noone was shown a straight red card in the sixth minute of the game. It was hard work from that point forward and an undermanned Macarthur had no answers to the relentless Wanderers attack. They have won four games at home all season and six games in total, but a leaky defence has been their weakness, having conceded 32 goals to date at a rate of 1.7 per game.

Brisbane did just enough to secure the three points against the Glory at Kayo Stadium but have been much less reliable on the road. They have only won twice away this season — in round eight against Newcastle, and round 11 against the Victory. Confidence levels should be high after a bold 1-1 effort at Allianz against Sydney FC in round 17, and the home win to follow up in round 18. The Roar’s weakness all campaign has been a lack of goals, but if they manage to conjure up enough scoring opportunities, they have some hope of securing a win here.

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