A-League Round 7 (17-22/09)

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


Saturday, September 18

North Queensland v Melbourne Victory

Verdict: North Queensland will be desperate to pick up something from this game after losing their last two against top team Adelaide United (2-3), and Melbourne Heart (1-0). The Victory will be playing their 3rd game in 6 days which is something out of the ordinary in Australian football. After crushing Brisbane Roar 3-0 on the weekend, Melbourne looked lifeless in the scoreless draw against Wellington.

Melbourne's squad will be tested to the limit today due to the short rest, and absence of captain Kevin Muscat (inj), Robbie Kruse (inj), Mate Dugandzic (int.duty), and Diogo Ferreira (int.duty). North Queensland have not played in 2 weeks due to the fact that they had a 'bye' week last weekend. The home side themselves have their absentees with Cernak (int.duty), Payne (int.duty), and Daal (inj) all unavailable. The weather in North Queensland will be some 10 degrees warmer, and much more humid than the Melbourne players are accustomed to. Considering Melbourne has played so much football recently, and don't really have the squad to rotate players like for like (in quality), I believe North Queensland have the edge.

Pick: North Queensland DNB @2.04 (sbobet, 10 units)
North Queensland 0 - 0 Melbourne Victory


Sunday, September 19

Gold Coast United v Central Coast

Verdict: Gold Coast collected their first win for the season last week after an impressive 1-0 win at Perth Glory. It must be noted that Gold Coast has played atleast two games less than anyone else due to the A-League's peculiar 'bye' system. In their respective match, Central Coast wasted plentiful opportunities against the depleted Melbourne Heart (Beauchamp red carded on '53) but McBreen's first half strike was good enough to give them the 3pts.

With the return from injury of Fitzsimmons and Van den Brink, in addition to new signings Djite and Broadfoot, Gold Coast now have options and it showed last weekend. They outplayed a strong Perth side for long periods, especially in the first half, and will fancy their chances to climb the table with two home games in the space of 4 days. Central Coast's home and away performances have been like chalk and cheese in comparison. They have been strong at the Bluetongue Stadium but their performances at Melbourne Heart, Wellington, and Sydney have been dissapointing despite capturing a win and a draw in these games. After a poor start, the signs last week are that the Gold Coast are ready to make their charge up the table.

Pick: Gold Coast United -0.25AH @1.89 (pinnacle, 10 units)
Gold Coast United 0 - 0 Central Coast