Wed, Feb 7, 7:26am by Staff Writer
AAMI Park hosts two A-League clashes this weekend as Melbourne Victory will take on Brisbane Roar at the venue Friday night before the Melbourne City vs. Sydney FC blockbuster on Saturday night
Round 20 is a split round for the competition over two weekends and includes an extra fixture for both Wellington Phoenix and the Western Sydney Wanderers whose scheduled Round 7 game will be played this Sunday.
Melbourne Victory vs. Brisbane Roar
With both sides coming off defeats, it will be interesting to see which team bounces back the best. The Roar’s two consecutive losses has seen it drop out of the top six and will need to claim some points to ensure it doesn’t completely lose touch from playoff contention.
In their two matches this season to date, both sides fought out a closely contested draw at Etihad Stadium in Round 6 while in their Round 11 clash at Suncorp Stadium it was the Victory who emerged 2-1 victors in the away fixture.
The win-draw-win market sees the Victory a clear favourite at $1.72, with the Draw at $3.75 and Brisbane win a $4.50 chance.
Given the The Roar need to secure points to ensure they remain a top six chance and the two teams’ inconsistent form line, having both lost three of their past five matches, the Draw at $3.75 looks a good option in terms of value and possibility.
Best Bet: Melbourne Victory and Brisbane Roar draw @ $3.75
Melbourne City vs. Sydney FC
Ladder leader Sydney FC travel down to AAMI Park on Saturday night for the game of the round against a Melbourne City outfit keen to press for a top two position on the table.
The third placed City are fresh off a come-from-behind away victory over Brisbane Roar and head into the home clash four points behind the second placed Newcastle Jets.
The Sky Blues enter Round 20 following a dominant 4-0 home victory over the bottom placed Wellington Phoenix.
Sydney hold a nine point lead on top of the ladder and after 19 rounds have only lost the one game this season.
This imposing record sees Sydney enter this week’s away fixture a clear $2.00 favourite in the win-draw-win market, with Melbourne City paying $3.40 and the Draw available at $3.60.
With Melbourne City in good form, they present respectable value in this clash and the double chance option of Melbourne City / Draw looks a good one.
Best Bet: Melbourne City / Draw (double chance) @ $1.72
A-League Round 20 Odds
Melbourne Victory $1.72 Draw $3.75 Brisbane $4.50
Melbourne City $3.40 Draw $3.60 Sydney $2.00
Western Sydney $2.70 Draw $3.40 Newcastle $2.40
Wellington $2.10 Draw $3.40 Perth $3.10
Adelaide $1.91 Draw $3.50 Central Coast $3.50
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