Newcastle Jets v Macarthur FC

Newcastle Jets come into this game off the back of a superb 1-0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers, one that has propelled them back into Finals Series contention in the A-League. Macarthur enjoyed their own 1-0 win in midweek, coming away from their match with Perth Glory with all three points.

Newcastle Jets have struggled for consistency in recent weeks, winning three and losing three of their last six matches. This run has managed to keep them ahead of the teams at the very bottom of the league and their latest win leaves them four points off the top six with a game in hand. The most worrying thing for The Jets has been their defensive capabilities, with their 1-0 win on Wednesday being just their second clean sheet of the season.

Macarthur have refound their form over the past couple of weeks, winning their last two games to put a run of five matches without victory behind them. Despite the poor run, Macarthur have still performed very well in front of goal, scoring an average of two goals a game over their last six matches. Unfortunately for The Bulls they have conceded at exactly the same rate, stopping them from pushing the top two sides even closer.

Both sides are capable of winning this game but Macarthur look to have a slight edge after coming back from their awful run to pick up consecutive wins. The security of the draw no bet market offers value though and that looks to be the best play in this game.

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Sydney FC v Melbourne City

Sydney FC lost their first game in six when they fell to a 1-0 defeat to Western United in midweek. This leaves The Sky Blues eight points behind the leaders having played a game more. Melbourne City picked up a 3-2 win over Central Coast in midweek, winning their fifth game in the last seven to keep pace with Western United at the top of the league.

Sydney FC have lacked their usual cutting edge this season, despite a five match unbeaten run heading into their game on Wednesday. The loss to Western United in that match left Sydney well off the pace in the race for the title and they perhaps look a little more concerned with holding onto their status in the top six, something made much more difficult when you consider they haven’t been able to keep a clean sheet since the end of December.

Melbourne City are pushing Western United all the way at the top, adding another win to their record with a victory over Central Coast. The 3-2 scoreline means Melbourne City have now scored 14 goals in their last five games with striker Jamie Maclaren leading the way with five goals in that time. The side are now one point behind Western United in the title fight but have played a game more, meaning every win becomes even more important.

Two quality teams meet at the Jubilee Oval on Saturday and, with so much attacking talent on the pitch, there should be plenty of goalscoring opportunities at either end of the pitch. That makes the over 2.5 goal market look very enticing ahead of this tie.

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Adelaide United v Central Coast Mariners

Adelaide United continued their inconsistent form last weekend, losing 4-1 to Macarthur and, as a result, falling eight points behind Western United at the top of the league. Central Coast Mariners have the worst form in the league following their 3-2 loss to Melbourne City on Tuesday. They have now gone six games without a win, picking up just two points in that time.

Adelaide United has been on a nice run of form, going five games without a loss and moving into the top three as they began to look like genuine title challengers. They have now won just one of their last four though, struggling for consistency and they now sit seven points adrift of the top two. Defensively the side having been poor, keeping just two clean sheets in 14 games and conceding more than the bottom side, Brisbane Roar.

Central Coast’s form has changed dramatically following a reasonable start to the season and they’ve managed to win just two points from a possible 18. This has left them second bottom of the league, saved from propping the table up by goal difference. They have conceded 14 goals in their last six games, giving up three goals against Sydney FC, Macarthur and twice to Melbourne City. Neither of these sides are setting the world alight at the moment but there hasn’t been a worse side in the A-League than Central Coast in recent weeks. They give the advantage to Adelaide and, with the side having odds better than evens, the value looks in backing the home side to pick up the victory

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18+ please gamble responsibly.

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