A League Australian Football

After a 27-round season, much of which was spent knowing Sydney FC would finish top of the table, we finally reach the A-League finals series with two elimination finals to be decided this weekend.

The format of the competition sees the winner of these two matches play Sydney and Melbourne Victory, respectively, next week for the right to play in the Grand Final.

Brisbane Roar and Melbourne City have been fighting for third spot on the table for much of the year, and in the end it was the Roar who won that battle after coming from 3-1 down to defeat Wellington 4-3 in a cracking match last Sunday.

That result sees Brisbane host the Western Sydney Wanderers in the first elimination final on Friday night at Suncorp Stadium. The Roar finished six points clear of the Wanderers on the table, but their head-to-head clashes this season have been close with two 1-1 draws before the Roar won the most recent game 2-1 in January.

The Roar go into the match as $2.10 betting favourites to win inside the 90 minutes, according to AustralianGambling.com.au, having not lost to the Wanderers at this ground in over two years. The draw is priced at $3.50, while a Wanderers win is $3.20.

Should Tony Popovic's side cause an upset, it would be a significant achievement for a team who won just two of their first 15 games. Last year's beaten grand finalists have found form at the right time of the year and are unbeaten in their past six games.

The second final pits two familiar foes at AAMI Park in Melbourne on Sunday night. Melbourne City and Perth Glory met in the final round of the season at nib Stadium last weekend and the result was one of the most bizarre games in the A-League's 12-year history; it ended 5-4 in Perth's favour.

The bookmakers are expecting a much different match this time, and City—with a wealth of experience in their side—are listed as $1.90 favourites to win this one inside the 90 minutes.

The Glory, who have fared well against City this season with a win and a draw in their two clashes in Melbourne, look over the odds at $3.60 when you consider they possess the class of Diego Castro, who is a match-winner. The draw is $3.75.

City striker Tim Cahill has made a career out of scoring in big matches, be they World Cups, Merseyside derbies, Melbourne derbies or more recently the FFA Cup final. He scored twice last week and is $6 to be the first goalscorer in this match.

The A-League regular season winds up over Easter weekend with spots from third to sixth all up for grabs, as well as hosting rights in the first week of the finals.

Premiers Plate winner Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory are already assured of the top two spots, and the week off next week, while the four bottom teams are all out of contention for the finals.

Perth Glory could end the weekend as low as sixth and as high as third depending on results. They host the final game of the season against Melbourne City on Sunday.

A 4-0 win for Glory would carry them over City and secure them a home final, which would be a significant advantage for a team that has secured seven of its nine wins of the season at nib Stadium.

The Glory are $2.20 AUD favorites, according to AustralianGambling.com.au, to make it eight home wins from 14 matches, with the draw at $3.50 and a City win, which would be just their second in Perth in 12 tries, is priced at $3.

Brisbane Roar can secure third spot should they get all three points against Wellington Phoenix earlier on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium. With Wellington having nothing but pride to play for in this match having dropped out of finals contention last week, it is not surprising that the Roar are $1.61 favorites.

However, seven weeks ago, the Phoenix beat the Roar at this venue, and while they are $5 to do it again, you wouldn't rule it out. Brisbane are coming off a midweek Champions League match, so they could be vulnerable. The draw is priced at $4.

Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC are both short prices to finish off their finals preparations with a win. Victory host Central Coast Mariners on Friday night and are listed at $1.33 to record their first win in a month. The Mariners can assure they won't win the wooden spoon should they win at odds of $9, while the draw is $4.75.

A Sydney win in their home match against Newcastle Jets, priced at $1.25, would ensure it is the Jets who finish bottom. The Jets have lost five straight and are $10 to end that run with a win, while a draw ($6) could be enough for them to get above Adelaide United.

Adelaide play later on Saturday, hosting the Western Sydney Wanderers in the final match of what has been a poor title defense. The Reds are $2.87 to get the three points and ensure they don't finish bottom of the pile, while the Wanderers can climb to fifth with a win of their own, priced at $2.25. A draw in that match is at $3.60.

The top two positions in the A-League may be settled, but the battle for third and fourth—and the home finals they represent—are up for grabs as the competition heads into the final two rounds.

Six points separate the third-place Brisbane Roar and the sixth-place Perth Glory, while the Glory's spot in the top six is not yet assured with Wellington Phoenix lurking just four points behind.

The Brisbane Roar can sew up third spot with three points in their trip away on Sunday to play the Glory, who are on a four-match streak without a win. The oddsmakers have the home side at $2.30 AUD given the Roar haven't won at nib Stadium in over four years, with Brisbane at $2.80 and the draw priced at $3.75, according to AustralianGambling.com.au.

Wellington's hopes of staying in the hunt for the finals rely on Perth losing and the Phoenix inflicting Sydney FC's second loss of the season when those two teams meet in New Zealand on Saturday.

The Phoenix have won their past two games to keep their final hopes flickering and are $3.70 to make it three in a row against the Sky Blues, who are on a five-match winning streak of their own and haven't conceded a goal in 425 minutes. Sydney are $1.85, with the draw priced at $4.

Speaking of teams on streaks, the Western Sydney Wanderers have surged into contention in recent weeks off the back of three straight wins and could be as high as fourth by round's end.

They host the Melbourne Victory on Saturday night, who have lost their past two matches but are secure in second spot. The Wanderers may have suffered two 3-0 losses to Victory this season, but they go into this match as $2.30 favorites, with Victory at $2.85 and the draw at $3.60.

The round kicks off Friday night when the other Melbourne team, Melbourne City, look to snap a two-match losing streak of their own against a resurgent Adelaide United.

A few weeks ago, City looked to have third place, and a home final, at their mercy, while Adelaide United look destined for the wooden spoon. But the Reds have finally found form, and while out of contention for the finals should avoid the ignominy of going from first to last in the space of a season.

City are $1.60 to win this match, but that seems short for a team so low on confidence, with Adelaide United at $5 and the draw, which looks like value, at $4.20.

The remaining match could well decide who does finish bottom with Central Coast Mariners ($2.45) hosting Newcastle Jets ($2.65) in the F3 Derby.

The Premier's Plate is heading to Moore Park. And although we've known that for weeks, it's now official, and no club has deserved it more in the A-League's history than Sydney FC.

While the Premiership is secured, and will be presented after Sydney's Round 27 fixture against the Newcastle Jets, there is no doubt that Graham Arnold's men want more.

They've already set a new points record for a 10-team A-League, but the club now has their sights on not only the Grand Final on Sunday, May 5, but also Brisbane Roar's record haul of 65 points in a season.

Ange Postecoglou was in charge of the team known as "Roarcelona" but there were 11 teams in the league then, before the now-defunct Gold Coast United closed its doors.

The Socceroos boss had a good week himself this week as the national team finally got back onto the winner's list with a 2-0 win over the U.A.E on Tuesday, and they are now back in favor ($1.36) to reach their fourth successive World Cup.

So, the Sky Blues need just two more wins from their last three outings to catch Ange's record-breakers from 2010/11, starting with a home game against Melbourne City on Saturday night.

The first of those is priced at $1.75 according to AustralianGambling.com.au, while an unlikely win for the visitors is a $4.35 chance, which, should they pull it off, would be just their second in five weeks. The FFA Cup Champions are in third place by goal difference only ahead of Brisbane.

Speaking of Brisbane, they are strong favorites at $1.42 when they host the Mariners in the final match of the round on Sunday night. Jamie Maclaren's smart finish got the Roar all three points against the Victory last Saturday night, which ended up being the final nail in the coffin for the Melbourne side in their bid to catch Sydney FC at the top of the table.

The Mariners are priced at $6.75 but need to start winning if they are to avoid their second wooden spoon in as many years. Their 3-2 home loss to Adelaide last week saw them displaced by the Champions and moved to the foot of the table.

Adelaide opens the round when they host Perth on Friday night. A win here for United is priced at $2.50, and if they can get the three points, they could jump up into eighth spot on the ladder. Perth are $2.60 after losing 3-0 at home to Sydney.

The Western Sydney Wanderers are suddenly one of the in-form teams in the league, and they played some brilliant football in their 3-1 win over Melbourne City last Friday.

They are favored ($2.20) to make it four wins from six games when they head up the highway to Newcastle ($3) to face the Jets, who are struggling and are now out of finals contention.

There are three matches to finish off a split Round 23 of A-League action this weekend, with the three-way battle for third spot taking centre stage as the top two teams have a week off.

Melbourne City and Brisbane Roar are separated by just goal difference with five matches remaining in the regular season, while Perth Glory—who also have a bye weekend—are just a point behind.

Under the A-League finals system, the third and fourth teams host the fifth and sixth teams in a first-week elimination final, with home advantage crucial.

Adding to the pressure for Melbourne City is the knowledge that should they finish third and win that first final, they will get to stay in their home city for the Grand Final qualifier and play local rivals, the Melbourne Victory.

So, City will be fired up to get all three points against Newcastle Jets on Saturday night at AAMI Park.

City have dropped just three home games for the season, and two of them have been against the top two, so it's little wonder they are $1.50 AUD favorites to win this one, according to AustralianGambling.com.au.

The Jets' form has been poor of late. They are winless in their past five games and have lost their last three away matches. They may have beaten Melbourne City when they last met in Coffs Harbour in late January, but there is no market faith in their prospects. They are $5.75, with a draw at $4.50.

Adelaide and Brisbane return from midweek Asian Champions League assignments to meet at Coopers Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Adelaide's only aim for this season is to avoid the ignominy of claiming the wooden spoon only 12 months after being champions. They are five points adrift at the bottom of the table but did win their most recent home match.

The Roar, as mentioned above, have a lot to play for and thrashed Adelaide 4-0 when they last met at Suncorp Stadium in December.

Since Round 2 the only teams the Roar have lost to away from home have been the top two sides, and that form should see them prevail here. They are a seemingly generous $2.15 to win here with the Reds at $3 and the draw priced at $3.60.

The final match pits two teams battling for the final spot in the six, Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix.

Wanderers hold sixth but will be overtaken by the Phoenix should they lose this match on Sunday.

The market has the Wanderers at $1.83, the Phoenix at $3.90 and the draw at $3.60.

Sydney FC could secure their first piece of silverware for the season during the split Round 23 of the A-League, with the Premiers' Plate in the Sky Blues' sights after a crucial win last week.

Sydney's third win of the season over Melbourne Victory on March 3 put them 11 points clear of their rivals with five matches to go.

Should Sydney defeat Central Coast Mariners on Friday night and Victory fail to get a win when they host Perth 24 hours later, then top spot, and the A-League premiership, is theirs for the keeping.

The first part of that equation looks pretty secure. Sydney are 33 points clear of the Mariners, have scored 19 goals more and have conceded 31 fewer goals across the season. Their two meetings so far this season have seen Sydney win 4-0 in October and 3-2 in January.

In-form striker Bobo, who scored the winner against Victory last week, has scored three goals in those two games and looks a major worry for the Mariners' defence, who are statistically the worst in the league.

Accordingly, the Sky Blues go into this one as $1.25 (AUD) favourites, according to AustralianGambling.com.au, with the Mariners at $9.50 and the draw at $6.50.

Melbourne Victory's sights must now be set on getting things sorted out in time to beat Sydney when Grand Final day comes along. The fact they have been swept by the Sky Blues in their three matches shows that coach Kevin Muscat has a lot of work to do over the next couple of months before they likely meet again.

Muscat's first task is his team finding confidence and form against Perth Glory, who beat the Victory when these two teams met in Perth in January.

Glory have lost just one in six since that match and did claim a point when these teams met in Melbourne earlier in the season.

It is an important game for the visitors, who are locked in a three-way battle for third spot with Brisbane Roar and Melbourne City.

Glory are $4.30 outsiders for the match, with the draw priced at $4. Victory are $1.73 having won five of their past six at home and look in good position to at least keep the Premiers' Plate battle alive for another week.

The remaining six teams play the following week, with FFA splitting the round in order to assist the Asian Champions League campaigns of Brisbane, Adelaide United and Western Sydney Wanderers.

If Melbourne Victory are going to make an unlikely charge for the Premiers' Plate, they simply must take all three points when they travel to Sydney to take on the top-of the-table Sky Blues on Friday night.

As it stands, Victory are eight points behind Sydney in the battle for top spot with seven matches remaining. A loss would see them 11 points adrift with six matches remaining, a situation that would all but guarantee Sydney FC the silverware.

A Victory win would cut the lead to five and would give them a distinct psychological edge ahead of the finals even if they don't bridge the points gap before the end of the season.

At the moment, Sydney are well ahead in the mind games this season, having won both encounters with their Big Blue rival 2-1 having trailed 1-0 early in the match. When they first met in November, it was a David Carney double which did the job, while their clash on Australia Day was settled by a Bernie Ibini strike in the 65th minute.

Sydney are $2 betting favorites heading into this match according to AustralianGambling.com.au having not lost a home game in 11 months, while Victory, who have won three of their past four, are $3.45 with the draw at $3.55.

Perth Glory have worked their way up to third in the table off the back of a four-match unbeaten streak themselves, and they travel to Auckland on Saturday to play Wellington Phoenix.

The Phoenix returned to form with a surprise 2-1 win over Brisbane last week but have lost four straight against the Glory, who beat them twice in Wellington last season. Perth Glory haven't lost in New Zealand since 2013.

The market has the Glory as slight favorites at $2.50 with Wellington at $2.60 and the draw at $3.50.

Western Sydney Wanderers seem to have cured themselves of the draw curse that dogged them earlier in the season, but they have become inconsistent. They have gone win-loss for their past six A-League games and lost 5-1 in the Champions League in midweek. They host Adelaide United and start $1.75 favorites, but you'd be loathe to take that given a torrid week which has seen them travel to Perth then Shanghai.

The Reds are $4.33 outsiders with the draw at $3.75, which seems decent value considering both teams are coming off trips to China.

Central Coast and Melbourne City play for the third time since New Year's Eve when City travel to Gosford on Sunday. The Mariners, who are $4 outsiders, haven't beaten City in a match in nearly two years, but City ($1.80) have just one win in Gosford in nine attempts. The draw is listed at $3.80.

The round concludes when Brisbane Roar, who will be playing their ninth game in 34 days, travel yet again, this time to Newcastle to play the Jets, The exhausted Roar are winless in their past five and were hammered 6-0 by Ulsan midweek. They are $2.20 favorites to win this match, but that looks skinny, with the Jets, who are winless in their past four, at $2.95 and the draw at $3.60.

Having lost their first game of the season last week, Sydney FC may have opened a window for Melbourne Victory to come after them in the battle for the A-League's Premier's Plate.

After building an almighty lead on top of the A-League table, the difference between first and second could be just five points after this week should Sydney slip up again and Victory win their match.

Melbourne City have proved to be Sydney FC's bogey team over their last five encounters, having not lost to them since 2014. They head into Friday's much-anticipated clash with their confidence high and their momentum up after a 5-1 win over Wellington Phoenix last week as well as their FFA Cup win over the Sky Blues in November.

The oddsmakers have the home side as $2.70 (AUD) outsiders, according to AustralianGambling.com.au, despite City having lost just one of their past nine home matches, with Sydney as $2.45 favorites and the draw at $3.50.

The knock on City is that they haven't won back-to-back matches since the first two games of this season, while Sydney haven't lost two in a row since late last season.

Melbourne Victory will be in the unusual position of cheering their cross-town rivals so that they can close the gap to Sydney with a win over Adelaide United at the same venue on Saturday night.

Victory returned to form with a 3-0 win away to Central Coast Mariners last week, with Besart Berisha and James Troisi getting on the scoresheet. Berisha now has 16 goals and is on track to beat his best-ever A-League season haul of 21.

Victory have lost just one of their past 11 league matches against the Reds and go into this as $1.42 favorites with the draw at $4.40 and bottom of-the-table Adelaide at $7.

The fourth and fifth teams in the table, Brisbane Roar and Perth Glory, both have home games they will be confident of winning.

Brisbane, unbeaten in eight matches in all competitions, face Wellington Phoenix, who have gone five matches without success.

The Roar are $1.67 to win this one, having lost just once to the Phoenix in Brisbane in 14 previous encounters. Wellington are $4.60 with the draw priced at $3.85.

Perth take on a Western Sydney Wanderers side who will be pleased after that derby win over Sydney last week. The Glory are unbeaten in their past three and have lost just two matches at NIB Stadium in their past 16.

Western Sydney haven't won in the west in over three years and accordingly are $3 outsiders, with the Glory at $2.20 and the draw at $3.60.

The remaining game of the round is the F3 derby, where Newcastle Jets are $1.72 favorites against Central Coast ($4.20). The past five F3 derbies in Newcastle have been draws. It's $4 for that to happen again.

Can anyone stop Sydney FC this season? Round 20 is Western Sydney Wanderers' last chance this season to claim some much-needed crosstown bragging rights having gone 1,129 days since their last victory over the Sky Blues.

The "Battle of the Bridge" has been a bit of a letdown of late, with Sydney winning six and drawing three of the last nine clashes between the two sides.

While the Sky Blues have been the headline act all season, the Wanderers have been so far out of the spotlight as to be anonymous with just four wins from 19 matches. They can still make the playoffs—they are just one spot out of the six—but their 2-0 loss last week to Central Coast Mariners was their worst performance of the season.

Sydney FC looks like a value at $2.05 to win this one and seem to be getting better week by week. The draw in this match is priced at $3.50 according to AustralianGambling.com.au, with a Wanderers win at $3.40.

It looks as if the oddsmakers have got Sydney at a generous price there, while you'd have to question on what basis they framed the market for the Friday night match involving Adelaide United and the Newcastle Jets.

Adelaide continue to start as the favorite in matches and continue to lose. The football world has been waiting for the Reds' title defense to catch fire, but they are now cast adrift eight points in bottom place having lost three of their past four.

Yet, somehow, they go into this match as $2.37 favorites, with the Jets at $3.20 and the draw at $3.40.

The Jets' away form has been poor this campaign, with just two wins and a draw from nine games, and they haven't beaten Adelaide at Coopers Stadium since 2013. But they did beat the Reds 2-1 when they last played in December.

Both Melbourne teams are on the road this week, with fourth-placed Melbourne City travelling to Wellington.

City, who have won just one of their past four, are $2.40 favorites to make it two wins across the ditch this season, while the Phoenix, who are on a four-match run without a win, are $2.70 with the draw at $3.50.

Melbourne Victory were terribly flat in their 0-0 draw against the Jets in Newcastle on Monday and are back in that neck of the woods on Sunday when they face a suddenly in-form Central Coast at Gosford.

The Victory, who are 11 points adrift of top-placed Sydney, are $1.57 to win this one having not lost in their past 10 against the Mariners, and having beaten them 4-1 in Melbourne in December.

The Mariners, who are $5 outsiders in this, have resurrected their season with three consecutive wins to sit just outside the six. But they have only beaten three teams all season, Glory, Adelaide and last week the Wanderers. The draw is a $4.33 shot in that match.

The remaining match sees third-placed Brisbane travel to fifth-placed Perth on Saturday night. It has been over four years since the Roar won in Perth, but they are in good form having won four and drawn two in their past six in all competitions.

The Glory's home form is strong, and they have won their past three games at NIB Stadium.

It's a hard match to call, and the oddsmakers have them as $2.55 joint favorites, with the draw priced at $3.50.

Sydney FC's unbeaten streak is heading into its 19th week with a seemingly straightforward home match against the Wellington Phoenix on Thursday. A win or a draw will see the Sky Blues move one step closer to invincibility.

Sydney have faced the two teams placed directly below them on the road over the past fortnight and have come away with a crucial four points, which has consolidated their spot at top of the table

They are now $2.40 (AUD) to win the championship according to AustralianGambling.com.au, as short as they have been all season, and should not have any issues with Wellington. Sydney start the shortest-price favourite for the week's fixtures at $1.45.

The Phoenix have not lost an away game against Sydney since April 2014, but their recent form is just too horrible to contemplate the $6.75 for an upset win. They have lost two of their past three and are in danger of losing touch with the fight for the final six. Those fancying a draw in this match will get odds of $4.33.

The most important match of the round comes on Saturday night, when the third-placed Brisbane Roar travel to fourth-placed Melbourne City, who have been decimated by suspensions to key players.

Marquee pair Tim Cahill and Bruno Fornaroli will sit this one out, as will Manny Muscat, Osama Malik, Fernando Brandan and Luke Brattan.

As a result, Brisbane, who haven't won away to City since November 2010, start $2.50 favourites, with the home side at $2.60 and the draw at $3.60.

The Roar are coming off a creditable draw against Sydney, while City will seek to bounce back from a heartbreaking 2-1 derby loss to Melbourne Victory.

Speaking of Victory, they play Newcastle Jets away Saturday afternoon in a match they must win to have any serious hope of catching Sydney, who are nine points clear.

Victory were a little fortunate to get the three points last week but are unbeaten in their past four against the Jets, who haven't lost in their past four at home. The visitors are $1.91 to win this, with the inconsistent Jets at $3.60 and the draw at $3.75.

Perth Glory may have surged back up to fifth off their 3-2 win over the Jets last week, but they travel to Adelaide United on Friday night looking to end an eight-match run without an away victory.

As such, the Reds, who have just two wins for the entire season, go into this match as $2.20 favourites, despite last week's loss to the Central Coast Mariners. The Glory are $3.10 and could prove the value of the round should the mercurial Diego Castro get a hold of this game. The draw is also worth thinking about at $3.50.

The final match of the round on Sunday sees Western Sydney Wanderers start as $1.45 favourites against the Mariners, who are $6.25 despite winning back-to-back matches for the first time this season. The draw is $4.75.