Fresh from their heaviest defeat of the season, Melbourne City will hope for a swift return to winning ways when they host Newcastle Jets in an A-League fixture at AAMI Park. The hosts boast a good record at home and are expected to make light work of the bottom team.
Melbourne City suffered a 3-0 defeat at Brisbane Roar in their previous A-League fixture. It was a disappointing performance from City as they lacked energy throughout and barely troubled the Brisbane defence.
The lethargic performance might be understandable having just secured the Premier's Plate in their previous fixture, but manager Patrick Kisnorbo will be keen to get the team firing again. They will hope to carry some momentum into the playoffs in a bid to cap a stellar season with the Championship title.
The good news for Melbourne City is AAMI Park has been a fortress all season as they head into Saturday’s match with nine wins from their last 10 home fixtures. They have claimed some heavy victories in that run, including a 7-0 triumph over Melbourne Victory while also knocking off Adelaide United 4-1.
Newcastle Jets are also coming off a defeat as they were beaten 2-1 by Brisbane Roar last time out in the A-League. They were second best throughout the contest and scored off an own goal from Brisbane’s Jay O'Shea.
The Jets have been disappointing all season and look set to finish at the foot of the table. They have claimed just three wins and have one of the worst defences in the league.
Craig Deans' men travel to AAMI Park winless in their last 14 Matches, suffering 11 defeats in that run. They have also lost five of their last six away matches including a 3-1 defeat to Melbourne City in April.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have Melbourne City as overwhelming favourites with a home win priced at 1/3 by bet365. Newcastle Jets are outsiders at a massive 8/1 by Unibet while a draw is set at 19/4 by MansionBet.
Melbourne City have already beaten Newcastle Jets this season and given their impressive record at AAMI Park, another comfortable home win is expected.
Head to head
Melbourne City have a 17-13 advantage with four draws from 34 previous matches against Newcastle Jets. City have won the last five fixtures at AAMI Park and triumphed 3-1 in the most recent meeting back in April.
Players to watch
With top scorer Jamie McLaren set to miss Saturday’s match for his wedding, Craig Noone will be the one to carry the attacking threat for Melbourne City. The forward was on target in their last home fixture and could be worth a punt in the anytime goalscorer market at 7/5 with Unibet.
Newcastle Jets will be banking on Roy O'Donovan, who is the team’s top scorer with six goals. The striker is priced at 12/5 by bet365 in the anytime goalscorer market.
Anything else catch the eye?
With Melbourne City expected to claim a comfortable victory on Saturday, a -1 handicap bet could be worth a punt at 19/20 with Red Zone. A home win to nil could also be worth considering at 8/5 with Sporting Index.
Melbourne City are likely to score in both halves at 4/5 with Sporting Index while they could also be backed to win both halves at 9/5 with the same firm.
This A League match between Melbourne City and Newcastle Jets will be played on May 29, 2021 and kick off at 08:05. Check below for our tipsters best Melbourne City vs Newcastle Jets prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.