Two teams in desperate need of a win face off as Melbourne Victory host Macarthur Bulls in an A-League fixture at AAMI Park. Both sides have struggled defensively lately and look set to serve up goals on Wednesday.
A second half strike from Callum McManaman helped Melbourne Victory salvage a draw against Central Coast Mariners last time out in the A-League. They fell behind early in the first half and laboured for much of the encounter before the midfielder ensured they claimed a share of the spoils.
While Victory remain two points above the foot of the table, manager Steve Kean will view the result as a sign of an imminent turn around in fortunes. They are unbeaten in their last two home matches with a 5-4 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers preceding the draw against Central Coast.
Melbourne Victory’s season has been hampered by defensive problems. They have conceded the most goals in the A-League and are without a clean sheet in their last 11 matches.
Macarthur Bulls are also coming off a draw as they were held 0-0 by Perth Glory in their previous A-League fixture. They put up a solid defensive display and beat back wave after wave of attack from their hosts to earn the point.
Things appear to have gone awry for Macarthur in recent weeks as they are currently on a five match winless run, drawing the last three. They are barely holding on to their place in the final series playoff and will be desperate to return to winning ways.
Manager Ante Milicic has had similar defensive problems as his counterpart in Melbourne lately. They have kept just one clean sheet in their last five A-League matches.
How the bookies view it
Macarthur Bulls have been installed as slight favourites among the bookies with SBK offering 19/17 for an away victory. A win for Melbourne Victory is valued at 5/2 by bet365, while SBK is backing a draw at odds of 37/13.
Both teams have had similar problems in recent weeks and should battle to a draw.
Head to head
This will be the first ever meeting between Melbourne Victory and Macarthur Bulls.
Players to watch
Much of Melbourne Victory’s goals have come from midfield with Callum McManaman and Jake Brimmer scoring four times each this season. McManaman is priced at 10/3 to score anytime by bet365, who are also offering 10/3 on Brimmer in the same market.
Macarthur Bulls also have quality in attack and can take advantage of Melbourne Victory’s shaky backline. Forward Matt Derbyshire is looking to add to his 11 goals this season and is worth a punt in the anytime goalscorer market at 9/10 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
With both teams battling defensive problems lately, there are likely to be goals on Thursday. Over 2.5 goals is priced at 33/50 by Red Zone, over 3.5 goals is valued at 17/11 by Red Zone while BetVictor is offering 19/5 for over 4.5 goals.
Both teams often score their goals in the second half and could be set for a similar outcome at 13/8 with bet365. The second half could also be picked as the highest scoring half at evens with Sport Nation.
This A League match between Melbourne Victory and Macarthur Bulls will be played on May 6, 2021 and kick off at 10:05. Check below for our tipsters best Melbourne Victory vs Macarthur Bulls prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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