A place in the Grand Final is the prize as Sydney FC host Adelaide United in the A-League playoff semi-finals at the Netstrata Jubilee Stadium. Sydney are coming with plenty of momentum and should be too strong at home for a slightly inconsistent Adelaide side.
Sydney were given a bye from the elimination round after securing a top two finish in the regular season. Their last fixture was a 2-0 victory at Brisbane Roar on the final day of the regular season with Kosta Barbarouses and Harry Van Der Saag getting the goals.
The Sky Blues were one of the form teams in final weeks of the regular season as they went on a five-match winning run to finish second. Manager Steve Corica often likes his team to be solid at the back and they have kept clean sheets in four of their last five matches.
Home form has been at the heart of Sydney’s impressive campaign and they head into Saturday’s match unbeaten in their last eight matches at home. They have been victorious six times in that run, including the last three fixtures.
Adelaide United progressed to the semi-finals with a 2-1 victory over Brisbane Roar in the elimination round. They made a bright start with Tomi Juric netting an early brace and held on for the win despite conceding in the second half.
The Reds are often erratic and travel to Sydney with just three wins from their last 10 matches. A 4-1 defeat against Saturday’s hosts in May right after a 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory underlines how much they battle with inconsistency.
Carl Veart’s men are also unconvincing on their travels and have with just two wins in their last seven away matches. They have suffered four defeats in that run, the heaviest of which was a 4-1 drubbing at Melbourne City.
How the bookies view it
Sydney FC have been installed as favourites by the bookies and are valued at 7/10 by BetVictor to claim the win. A victory for Adelaide United is priced at 17/4 by bet365 while Unibet has a draw at odds of 16/5.
Given Adelaide’s inconsistent form, I am backing Sydney to earn the win on Saturday.
Head to head
Sydney FC have a 23-22 advantage with 11 draws from 56 previous matches against Adelaide United. They earned a 4-1 victory in the last meeting between both teams back in May.
Players to watch
Brazilian striker Bobo finished the regular season with 11 goals and has found the net three times in his last four matches. He is priced at 4/5 by bet365 to score anytime while the first goal is valued at 3/1 by the same firm.
Tomi Juric will be the one to watch for Adelaide United following his brace against Brisbane. He could be worth a punt at 12/5 with bet365 to score anytime while the first goal is set at odds of 8/1 with the same firm.
Anything else catch the eye?
There were over 4.5 goals in the last meeting between Sydney FC and Adelaide United and a similar outcome is priced at 17/4 by BetVictor. Over 3.5 goals is set at odds of 17/10 SBK while Red Zone is offering 13/19 for over 2.5 goals.
Sydney FC could be backed to score in both halves at odds of 27/20 by Sporting Index, while bet365 is offering 2/1 on both teams to score in the second half.
This A League match between Sydney FC and Adelaide United will be played on Jun 19, 2021 and kick off at 10:05. Check below for our tipsters best Sydney FC vs Adelaide United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.