A-League Betting Tips – Phoenix v Jets
It’s another Covid disrupted match week in the A-League, but Sportingly Better has found an angle to bring you free betting tips from the early Saturday game.
Wellington Phoenix (2.40) v Newcastle Jets (2.75); Draw (3.50)
- Saturday 8th January, 6:05am UK / 5:05pm AU
- Asian Handicap: Phoenix 0.0, Goal Line 2.75
- Last 5: Phoenix 1-0-4, Jets 1-2-2
A new year’s day loss was the fourth in a row for the Wellington Phoenix as their thin squad and Covid plight appears to finally be catching up to them.
After picking up 4 points from their first two games, Ufuk Talay’s men looked poised to defy the odds that had them pegged for a bottom two finish. But a brief return home of English striker Gary Hooper along with other absences, notably injured first choice keeper Oli Sail, has seen their form turn poor.
The Nix have scored just once during their winless run while concededing 12. It’s hard to see how they come into this one as favourites off scratch. However, they will get a chance to stop the bleeding with a mid-week cup quarterfinal game on the agenda. This is the furthest the Phoenix have ever progressed in the FFA cup and the chance at silverware may see Talay prioritize the tie over the weekend’s fixture.
For the Newcastle Jets, Saturday will be their first fixture in 20 days after multiple postponements due to Covid.
Arthur Papas will need to inspire his troops to shake off any early rust, but they only need to look back to the previous meeting between these sides for motivation. Match week 4 saw the Jets run out comprehensive 4-0 winners and a repeat result wouldn’t be a huge surprise. The Jets also boast wins in three of the previous four head-to-head meetings.
Goals also look likely, despite the long layoff for the away side. The Jets have seen 3 or more goals scored in all five league games so far, with 4 being scored in three of those games. Meanwhile, the last four games in all competitions for the Nix have seen 4, 3, 5, and 4 goals. Head-to-head we’ve seen five of the last six meetings feature 3 or more goals.
Looking deeper into expected goals (xG) stats, we find the Jets 2nd overall in the league with 1.62 xG per game and the best away xG per game at 1.72. On the opposite side the Phoenix have the worst expected goals against (xGA) at 1.73 per game. All signs point towards goals and the 20/21 offered for over 2.75 is tempting, but we’ll stick to the over 2.5 market in this one.
Recommended Bets
- Back Newcastle Jets 0.0 on the Asian Handicap @ 2.08 – 1 unit (Bet365)
- Back Over 2.5 goals @ 1.72 – 1.5 units (Bet365)
Odds correct at time of writing
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