Competition: A-League
Market: Sydney FC win
Odds: 1/2 @ Pribet
Desperate to find a route back into the play-off places on Sunday morning, Sydney will welcome Wellington to the Allianz Stadium.
Starting with the hosts, extending on their AFC Champions League adventure earlier in the week as they secured a thumping 5-2 aggregate win against South Korean outfit Jeonbuk, Sydney appear to have hit top gear at a crucial time. Likewise, last seen in A-League action collecting a routine 2-0 victory away at Macarthur, the Sky Blues will now have their sights firmly set on skyrocketing back into the play-off places. Winning their previous three appearances across all competitions by an aggregate score of 7-2, Ufuk Talay’s men are unbeaten in each of their previous eight consecutive outings. Enjoying their most fruitful spell of the campaign, Sydney have also found a recent clinical edge in the final third. Including a stellar 4-1 romp against Adelaide on February 1st, the Australian giants have notched at least a pair of goals in seven of their last eight showdowns across all fronts. It should also be highlighted, the Sky Blues have suffered just a single defeat at the Allianz Stadium since the middle of December.
As for the visitors, although Wellington might have sprung a real A-League upset last season as they punched a silver medal finish, the Phoenix have come crashing back down to earth this time around. Putting in what was a woeful performance last week as they slumped to a 4-1 defeat away at Western United, Giancarlo Italiano’s men have come under a huge amount of scrutiny. Battling it out at the foot of the table and opening this weekend’s fixtures sat 12 points adrift of the play-off places, Sunday’s guests have lost each of their previous four consecutive A-League appearances by an aggregate score of 12-2. Hit with an infamous 6-1 drumming against runaway leaders Auckland, Wellington have unsurprisingly shown some worrying defensive struggles. Likewise, the Phoenix have registered just a single A-League victory from any of their last 10 straight showdowns – a run that stems all the way back to December 28th. Suffering a 3-1 loss when they last travelled to the Allianz back in December 2023, we are expecting a similar home win.
Bet: Sydney FC 1/2 to beat Wellington Phoenix in Sunday’s A-League matchup @ Pribet
