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The Scout: A-League Week 1

Posted on | Posted by The Scout

Perth Glory vs Adelaide United

Perth Glory did not live up to their A league reputation last season as they were a complete flop and finished 9th place after losing their last four games of the season. Adelaide were slightly more successful than Perth and managed to pick up five more points which put them in 5th place.

Glory manager Richard Garcia will look to improve on his disappointing first season in charge and an exciting off season move could be the key. Former Liverpool star Daniel Sturridge could be the signing of the season however his fitness may be managed and might not feature in this fixture.

Since the appointment of Garcia, Glory have won all three of their matches against Adelaide United with an aggregate score line of 9-5. To add to this promising record, Perth Glory have turned their home into a fortress and are unbeaten in their last 5 home matches in the A League. Perth will be too strong in front of a home crowd on their opening fixture and will win comfortably.

Suggested Bet: Perth Glory Win @ $2.25*

Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sydney FC

Western Sydney Wanderers will host Sydney FC in the Sydney Derby, a fixture that always has produced exciting matches.

The Wanderers had a mediocre campaign last season and finished 8th overall with 9 wins, 8 draws and 9 losses. Although having a potent attack, where Western Sydney went wrong was their defense which consistently fell apart during games.

Sydney FC were fantastic last season finished second overall and just fell short of winning the A League where they lost 3-1 to Melbourne City in the final. Opposite to crosstown rival, Sydney FC’s game style was based off their rock-solid defense which kept out the most goals out of any team last season.

Recently this fixture has favoured Western Sydney however the last time these two teams met was quite telling with Sydney FC winning 1-0. The Sky Blues game plan starts from the back with an almost impenetrable defense, I expect this to continue and for Western Sydney to struggle finding goal scoring chances.

Suggested Bet: Sydney FC Win @ $2.40*

Newcastle Jets vs Central Coast Mariners

The Newcastle Jets will be looking to put a disappointing last season result behind them which saw them finish 11th only two points clear of the bottom of the ladder. The Central Coast Mariners were impressive last season finishing third and grinding out plenty of win’s thanks to a defensively focused game plan.

There will be an early period of figuring things out for the Jets who have made a massive overhaul in off season signings bringing in a raft of young talent. Unfortunately, this means there will be a lot of chemistry concerns as the players adapt to each other’s playing style.

An F3 derby is not the first game you want to compete in whilst figuring out how to line up your team however Jets coach Arthur Papas will have to learn fast. After losing leading goal scorer Roy O’Donovan, Newcastle will struggle to score goals which was already a weakness for them.

Central Coast play a ball dominant style of play where they look to maintain possession before finding openings to strike. This is a perfect playing style against the Jets who do not offer many threats in attack, I expect the Jets to struggle with their new roster allowing the Mariners some easy looks at goal.

Suggested Bet: Central Coast Win @ $2.44*

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