Competition: A-League
Market: Melbourne City win
Odds: 7/11 @ Pribet
Seeking an A-League boost on Sunday morning, Melbourne City will welcome Perth to AAMI Park this weekend.
Starting with the hosts, while Melbourne City might have made real history last season as they were crowned A-League champions for just a second time, the Australian giants have struggled to find any real stability this time around. Last seen settling for a 1-1 stalemate at home against local rivals Macarthur, Aureilo Vidmar’s camp already find themselves sat seven points adrift of leaders Auckland. Registering just a single win from any of their previous five appearances across all competitions, the Sky Blues also suffered major frustration earlier in the month as they fell to an infamous 1-0 loss at home against arch-rivals Melbourne Victory. Signing off November with an uneventful 0-0 stalemate away at the Central Coast Mariners, Sunday’s hosts are also searching for some much-needed fluidity in the final third. Along with notching just a trio of goals during their five-match winless rut, the reigning A-League champions have also failed to register more than a single strike in six of their last seven outings.
As for the visitors, embarking on what was a sensation three-match winning run on either side of opening December, Perth gained plenty of plaudits from across Australia’s elite. However, once again scrapping it out at the foot of the A-League table, it appears their shock flurry might have been just a minor boost. Now coming off the back of consecutive 1-0 losses against Sydney and Adelaide over the past fortnight, Adam Griffiths’ side are once again pencilled in as a landslide underdog this weekend. Much like the reigning A-League champions, Perth have also shown their own respective issues in the final third. Along with drawing back-to-back blanks, Griffiths’ side have also registered just a single A-League strike in over 270 minutes of action. It should also be highlighted, the Glory have lost all of their previous four straight trips to AAMI Park by a remarkable aggregate score of 17-0 and they will meet a Melbourne squad who are searching for an essential boost.
Bet: Melbourne City 7/11 to beat Perth Glory in Saturday’s A-League battle @ Pribet