A-League Betting: Back Sydney to beat Melbourne Victory by a one-goal margin in Grand Final
Recommended bet: Sydney to Win by a one-goal margin @ 11/4 (3.75) with Sportsbet
The Grand Final is upon us and will be contested, as had long been anticipated, by Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory at the former’s Allianz Stadium.
It means the top two finishers of the regular season will compete in the Grand Final for the fifth consecutive year.
Few would argue that these have been the two best teams in the A-League this season, with Sydney dominating throughout to end the regular season with a record-breaking 66 points from 27 games.
Victory trailed in a massive 17 points behind, but they too had a very healthy seven-point cushion over 3rd place finishers Brisbane Roar.
Both came through home semi-finals unscathed, with Sydney seeing off Perth Glory 3-0, whilst Victory overcame Brisbane Roar by a Besart Berisha goal to nil.
Sydney’s comprehensive win was aided by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) overturning two disallowed goals to help them build a decisive 3-0 lead by the interval.
Sydney have won seven and drawn one of their last eight matches, while Victory’s form has been somewhat indifferent of late. They’ve also struggled for goals, with just two in their last five matches.
The games between the two teams in the regular season were all close, but the Reds prevailed in all three, winning 2-1 and 1-0 at the Allianz Stadium in November and March respectively and, sandwiched in between, 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium in January. It’s also worth noting that Sydney had to come from behind in both of the 2-1 wins.
It would be something of a travesty were Sydney not to claim the title after such a remarkable campaign, but this will all come down to events on the day.
Home advantage, current form and this season’s head-to-head record all suggest the Reds should prevail. For their part, Victory certainly can’t be discounted, with the goal threat provided by Berisha and Marco Rojas being their main hope.
Sydney can be backed at 5/6 (1.83) to win the match in 90-minutes with Sportsbet but, backing them for another narrow win by a one-goal margin (e.g. 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, etc) is available at a more attractive 11/4 (3.75) with the same bookie.
