A-League Round 2 Betting Preview: Odds, Trends and Analysis for Week's Matches
Melbourne Victory opened the A-League season with a loss to their bitter rivals Sydney FC last Saturday night, and Kevin Muscat's men find themselves on centre stage again this week when they take on another one of their fiercest foes, Melbourne City, in the season's first Victorian derby.
The Victory boss made headlines himself last week, when he snubbed his Sydney counterpart Graham Arnold, who was looking for a post-game handshake.
This Saturday night's fixture is the pick of the round, with last season's runners-up looking to avoid starting the season with two straight losses. It won't be easy, though, given that the Citizens opened their campaign with a 2-0 win over Brisbane Roar.
The Big V are slight favorites at $2.25 AUD to beat their neighbors, who are $2.75 to win their fifth derby from 12 starts, and the draw is set at $3.70, according to AustralianGambling.
Tim Cahill, who is fresh off scoring a double in Australia's 2-1 World Cup Qualifying win over Syria on Tuesday, is expected to play, and he will be looking to emulate his feats of last season, when he scored the goal of the season with a half-volley from 40 metres out.
City's first-up opponent Brisbane open the round with a home game against Adelaide United on Friday night.
The Roar are $2.15 favorites to bounce back into the winner's circle, while United are out at $2.90 to get their first win after they drew with Wellington Phoenix on the opening Sunday of the season.
The Reds left points behind in the New Zealand capital after they dominated the game. This fixture has been a goal fest of late, with seven of the last eight games featuring more than two goals.
Despite losing their coach just days before the season kicked off, the Western Sydney Wanderers made a winning start to the season, when they scored a 2-1 win over Perth Glory.
They're at home again on Saturday, this time welcoming the Central Coast Mariners, who were belted 5-1 in the F3 derby against the Newcastle Jets.
Wanderers are assessed as a $1.33 shot to make it two from two, while the Mariners, who could be in for a long season, are out at $6.
Speaking of the Jets, they have been the talk of the town this week, with Ernie Merrick's men favored to add another win to their brilliant first-up showing. Last season's wooden spooners are $2.10 to beat the Glory ($3.20).
The final match of the round is also in New South Wales, when the champions Sydney host Wellington Phoenix. The Sky Blues aren't expected to have too many problems against the Kiwi side and have been installed as the shortest priced favorites of the weekend, at $1.38, with the Nix out at $8.
