A-League Betting: Back Melbourne City to beat Central Coast Mariners with Both Teams To Score
Recommended bet: Match Result & BTTS – Melbourne City to Win & Yes @ 7/5 (2.40) with Sportsbet
Melbourne City play host to Central Coast Mariners at AAMI Park in a game between two teams badly lacking in form.
A run of just one win in their last seven matches has seen Melbourne City fall off the pace at the top of the A-League and they are now nine points adrift of local rivals Melbourne Victory (and having played a game more) in their bid to secure a top two finish and a place in the Finals Series semi-finals. City still look secure for a place in the Elimination finals, but expectations were higher for such a talented squad of players.
The 2-1 defeat at the then bottom-of-the-table Adelaide United last week was a humiliating blow for the club and interim City coach Michael Valkanis, but they now have a chance to return to winning ways against the team that has replaced the Reds at the foot of the table in Central Coast Mariners.
The Mariners have taken just a single point from a possible 21 and have the worst defensive record in the A-League, conceding at a rate of over two goals per game.
The solitary point in that recent run came when these two teams last met, which was as recent as New Year’s Eve. On that occasion, a last-minute Bruno Fornaroli penalty enabled City to escape with a 2-2 draw at the Central Coast Stadium.
Unsurprisingly, City are red hot favourites at 3/10 (1.30) with Sportsbet, but a better alternative could be to look to the Match Result & Both Teams to Score (‘BTTS’) market, where you can City and Yes at a far more appealing 7/5 (2.40) with Sportsbet.
The fact is that City do concede goals – 12 in eight home matches this season. Seven of those eight games have resulted in both teams scoring and although the Mariners are hardly prolific, they have also featured in five BTTS matches in eight games on the road this term.
The last time these two teams met at AAMI Park was in February 2016, with City running out 4-1 winners. Something along similar lines would do very nicely this time as far as our bet is concerned.
