Three more top-notch clashes with plenty of goals await punters in match week six of the A-League.
The Sky Blues will make the short trip up to Gosford on Saturday to take on the cellar-dwelling Mariners.
Then, the Victory and Wanderers will square off in what will potentially be a goal-fest.
On Sunday, Perth Glory will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the ladder with a victory against the Nix in the distance derby.
Central Coast Mariners v Sydney FC
A-League Odds: Mariners $5 / Draw $3.75 / Sydney FC $1.62
This match promises to be a cracker.
Despite being anchored to the bottom of the ladder, the Mariners always seem to be up for the fixture against the Sky Blues, wanting to show the boys from the big smoke what they're capable of.
Both teams will also want to bounce back after disappointing losses last weekend.
The Mariners can consider themselves hard done by. They made the long journey to Perth to face the top-of-the-table Glory, and looked set to come away with a point.
However, a Chris Ikonomides strike in the 95th minute meant that the Mariners went home with nothing.
Bouncing back in front of their home fans will be the top priority of Central Coast coach Mike Mulvey.
After dealing with the Usain Bolt saga and starting their campaign with two straight draws, his team has yet to pick up a point.
But based on last week's improved effort away to the Glory, a similar improvement will see the Mariners take all three points here.
Sydney on the other hand, went down in the Big Blue last weekend.
A second half penalty from Keisuke Honda sealed the 2-1 result for the visitors after he was recklessly scythed down in the box by Jop van der Linden.
Therefore, this defeat wasn't a result of being outplayed by Melbourne, but rather a simple defensive mistake.
The Sky Blues have done fairly well on the road this campaign.
From their three away fixtures, the Sydney side are yet to taste defeat in the 2018/19 A-League season.
All signs point to a tight and competitive contest.
Key A-League Stat
The Mariners have only played one home game at night this season, which ended in a draw: Match to end in a draw @ $3.75
A-League Tip: Match to end in a draw @ $3.75
Reasoning: This bet is great value for a game where both sides are desperate for a strong showing.
The Mariners need no motivation going into this and will be up for the fight against a talented Sydney FC line up.
The second game on Saturday night sees the Wanderers travel down to Melbourne to take on the Victory.
After steady improvement under new head coach Markus Babbel since the start of the season, the Wanderers took a step back last time out in a disappointing home loss to the Jets.
This was the match played on the horror surface at Spotless Stadium.
While this can't be used an excuse, the Wanderers were unlucky not to pick up at least a point.
They had more possession and shots on goal, created more big chances and even hit the woodwork twice in the 2-0 defeat to Newcastle.
Several players were guilty of spurning gilt-edged chances. In particular, Spanish import Oriol Riera had a night to forget.
The striker had 8 shots at goal without finding the back of the net, in arguably his worst display all season.
With his quality, you can bet that if he is given the same amount of space by Melbourne's defence, he will be capitalizing this time.
Kevin Muscat and the Victory have had an impressive turnaround in form.
After suffering defeat in their opening two fixtures, the Victory boys have won three on the trot.
In their previous home match, the Melbournians put Central Coast to the sword, winning 4-1.
With superstar import Keisuke Honda hitting the ground running, and fellow marquee Ola Toivonen scoring in his first start for the club last week, Victory are looking dangerous.
Expect plenty of goals in what's sure to be another entertaining match.
Key A-League stat
Melbourne Victory have won 3 A-League games in-a-row: Victory to win @ $2
A-League Tip: Total goals over 2.5 @ $1.72
Reasoning: With a bit of luck and better finishing, the Wanderers will put a few in the back of the net in this game. As Melbourne scored four in their previous home game, you can expect a goal-fest here.
The first "Distance Derby" of the season will see the Wellington Phoenix welcome the Perth Glory to Westpac Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Not only are these teams miles apart on a world map, but there's also a fair distance between them on the ladder.
Glory are sitting pretty at the top, while the Phoenix are languishing in 9th.
Tony Popovic has enjoyed a stellar start to his tenure at the Glory, picking up 13 from a maximum 15 points in his opening five games.
And for a coach renowned for his defense-first approach, it is remarkable the number of times Perth have found the back of the net.
They are averaging 2.2 goals per game, a figure that is better than EPL giants Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham in their 2018/19 EPL campaigns.
While there have only been five games played in the A-League season, the signs are still looking very good for the Glory.
Chris Ikonomides is shaping up as the buy of the season.
Last week the former Socceroo scored a brace including the winner in the 95th minute against a spirited Central Coast outfit.
After spending 5 years in and around Serie A side Lazio, Ikonomides would've advanced his game in leaps and bounds despite not earning a first team start.
Against a very leaky Wellington defence, look for him and strike partner Andy Keogh to have a field day.
Speaking of the Phoenix, something needs to change soon because they are looking like spending yet another season stuck near the bottom of the ladder.
Their last three seasons have seen them finish 9th, 7th and 9th respectively.
Unless they can manufacture some grit in the immediate future, it's hard to see the Nix returning to finals football.
Key A-League Stat
Perth have won 4 consecutive games in the A-League: Glory to win @ $2.30
A-League Tip: Perth Glory to win @ $2.30
Reasoning: Wellington aren't showing nearly enough, and Perth are performing week-in, week-out.
Despite the long travel distance, Perth look primed to come away with another three points.
Nov 29, 2018 07:01 PM
AAP
Key A-League Stat
A-League Tip: Match to end in a draw @ $3.75
