Macarthur Bulls will hope to maintain their spot in the final series playoff as they travel to AAMI Park for a clash against Western United. The hosts have been on a downward spiral in recent weeks, Macarthur should have the edge here.
Western United are coming off their worst defeat of the season as they were beaten 6-1 at home by Melbourne Victory last time out in the A-League. Alessandro Diamanti's first half penalty proved to be a mere consolation as they were second best to the team second from bottom on the table.
Marko Rudan’s men have been on a downward spiral in recent weeks, losing their last six matches. They are only playing for pride at the moment and sit well off the playoff places with just two matches left to play.
Western United’s poor form can be attributed to their poor defence that has conceded 20 goals in their last six matches. They have also struggled to find their cutting edge in attack, scoring just three goals in their last seven matches.
Macarthur Bulls were also beaten at home in their previous A-League fixture, losing 2-1 to Central Coast Mariners. They failed to build on an early lead through Markel Susaeta and were breached twice by the visitors.
It was their first defeat in seven matches and manager Ante Milicic will be keen for his team to get their playoff quest back on track. They are barely holding on to the final playoff spot with fast rising Wellington Phoenix just two points behind them in seventh.
Western United have done well on their recent travels and head to AAMI Park unbeaten in their last three away matches. They often struggle to keep things tight at the back and are without a clean sheet in their last four matches.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed Macarthur Bulls as favourites with betway offering odds of 11/8 for an away win. A victory for Western United is valued at 21/10 by bet365 while a draw is set at 5/2 with BetVictor.
While Western United are likely to score, their recent poor form means I am leaning towards a victory for Macarthur Bulls.
Head to head
There have been just two previous matches between Western United and Macarthur Bulls with both teams claiming one win apiece. The most recent meeting was a 2-1 victory for Macarthur back in March.
Players to watch
Western United will be hoping striker Besart Berisha can rediscover his scoring touch having found the net seven times this season. They will be hopeful of taking advantage of Macarthur's shaky defence and could produce over 1.5 goals at 11/8 with bet365.
Matt Derbyshire had scored 14 goals this season and was also on target in the last meeting against Western United. With support from fellow forward Markel Susaeta, the visitors could be backed to produce over 1.5 goals at evens with Red Zone.
Anything else catch the eye?
With goals expected in Monday’s clash, both teams are likely to score at 8/13 at Sport Nation. Over 2.5 goals could also be on the cards at 14/19 with Red Zone while over 3.5 goals is valued at 9/5 with BetVictor.
Both teams have a knack for getting their goals after the break and could be tipped to score in the second half at 35/19 SBK.
This A League match between Western United and Macarthur Bulls will be played on May 31, 2021 and kick off at 10:05. Check below for our tipsters best Western United vs Macarthur Bulls prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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