A-League Round 2 (13-15/08)

Wellington Phoenix v Gold Coast United
Newcastle Jets v Melbourne Heart
North Queensland v Sydney FC
Melbourne Victory v Perth Glory
Central Coast v Adelaide United


Friday, August 13

Wellington Phoenix v Gold Coast United

Verdict: Last week, Gold Coast United were lucky to earn a scoreless draw after Brisbane Roar dominated large parts of the game, and had the majority of the chances. Despite it being only the opening game of the season, there were a lot of negatives for the Gold Coast and they will need to do much better this week if they are to even contemplate of getting a result.
Wellington are undefeated at the Westpac Stadium in 19 consecutive matches and will look to extend that record in their opening game of this A-League campaign (first round bye). Wellington had a promising pre-season which included a thoroughly deserved 2-1 win over Boca Juniors.
I believe Wellington have a good shot for the title this season. Several of their players, including heroic goalkeeper Mark Paston, were part of the New Zealand squad that performed so admirably in South Africa. The national coach, Ricki Herbert, is also Wellington's coach and he has built a solid and established A-League outfit.
Gold Coast only won four of their away games last season. On the evidence of last week's poor showing at home, where they were so dominant last season, I struggle to see how they can turn things around in a 5-day period in probably the toughest away fixture on the A-League calendar.

Pick: Wellington -0.25AH @2.01 (188bet, 5 units)
Wellington 3 - 3 Gold Coast United

Newcastle Jets v Melbourne Heart

Verdict: Both teams failed to score in their respective opening round games of the A-League season. Melbourne lost 1-0 to the Central Coast whereas Newcastle were involved in a scoreless draw in Adelaide.
Melbourne had a nervy start in their debut as a new franchise and can perhaps consider themselves a bit unfortunate in not getting something from the game. Hearts playmaker, Josip Skoko, found it hard to get into the game in the first half but found his feet in the second and consequently, Melbourne dominated possession and the goal-scoring chances. There were also encouraging signs for strike partnership, Sibon and Terra.
Newcastle Jets wasted some good opportunities in Adelaide with Rooney, Bridges, Wheelhouse, and Abbas all guilty. After a good start for the Jets, it seemed like they began to tire in the 2nd half as Adelaide came more into the game. The Jets look a bit lightweight on creative midfielders this season after ex-captain, Thompson went to the Heart, Vignoroli was released, and Song left for Europe.
With the expectations on the home side to win, I expect Melbourne to play in a calmer state of mind and give them a good chance of taking at least a draw from this game.

Pick: Melbourne DNB @2.27 (188bet, 5 units)
Newcastle Jets 1 - 1 Melbourne


Saturday, August 14

North Queensland v Sydney FC

Verdict: Both side were involved in 3-3 thrillers last weekend. North Queensland scored a last minute equalizer against Perth Glory, whereas Sydney FC's Shannon Cole scored a late free kick to give the Sky Blues a share of the spoils against Melbourne Victory. It took a while for Sydney to get out of the blocks as Melbourne controlled possession and had more of the opportunities, up until Sydney capitalized on a Melbourne defensive error. Without the presence of keeper Clint Bolton and ex-captain Simon Colosimo (both transferred to Melbourne Heart), the Sydney back line looked extremely vulnerable. North Queensland were also slow to start in their match which perhaps (unlike Sydney) can be attributed to the fact that they have so many players make their first team debut. There were many positives signs for the Fury to take out of this game as they more than matched Perth Glory in the second half.

Sydney FC have suffered a blow in the lead up to this match with the news that striker Mark Bridge will miss out up to 2 weeks through injury. Sydney now look short of options up front as they have only one recognized striker in Alex Brosque. In contrast, North Queeland have a full bill of health and include experienced midfield man, Ufuk Talay, who has overcome a calf strain. North Queensland only lost 4 games at home last season so Sydney have an uphill task, especially as they are depleted in attack (Bridge exclusion) and weaker in defence than last season.

Pick: North Queensland +0.25AH @2.02 (sbobet, 10 units)
North Queensland 2 - 1 Sydney FC


Melbourne Victory v Perth Glory

Verdict: Keeper blunders and defensive errors proved crucial for both these sides as they could only manage draws from winning positions. Melbourne did remarkably well to fight back from a 2-goal deficit after captain Kevin Muscat gifted Sydney their first goal to eventually draw 3-3 with Sydney. Veteran keeper, Michael Petkovic, looked very shaky in the Melbourne goal and will come under more scrutiny tonight against a powerful Perth Glory outfit. Glory keeper, Tando Valaphi, has a reputation for keeper blunders and was at it again last weekend in a game where the home side dominated against North Queensland (result 3-3). Valaphi should of done better to keep out the first goal and did not do enough to punch the ball to safety on the third. Perth though can take positives from their attacking display with Sterjovski and Jelic both finding the net.

Both these sides try to play football on the ground so they will appreciate the prestine surface at AAMI Park. Melbourne young gun, Mate Dugandzic, was the standout performer last week and I expect him to be a big scoring threat again this evening. Team mate and Costa Rican International, Carlos Hernandez, had a below par performance against Sydney. It is rare for him to have 2 bad games in a row so I expect him to have a big influence against the Glory. Historically, these sides have played out some high scoring encounters. With both teams looking to avenge last week's dissapointments, I expect both sides to really go for the win and perhaps a keeper blunder or two is not out of the question.

Picks:
Melbourne 1x2 @1.92 (pinnacle, 10 units)
Melbourne 0 - 2 Perth Glory
Over 2.5 goals @2.02 (pinnacle, 5 units)
Melbourne 0 - 2 Perth Glory