In the last match of the 9th round in A-League, we will see Adelaide United hosting WS Wanderers at Coopers Stadium, where Adelaide will hope to end their 2 games losing streak.
Adelaide United is currently 6th in the league with an overall record of 3-2-3 and a 2-0-3 in the last 5 games. Looking at their last 5 matches, they have lost the most recent 2 against Melbourne Victory (2:0) and (0:2) against Melbourne City. Looking at the most recent match against Melbourne City, Adelaide suffered a goal 25 minutes into the match, when Elsey scored an own goal. In the first half, that was the only goal we saw, as teams only had 2 goal attempts per side, with Melbourne City being the only team with the shot(s) on goal (1). The second half saw a bit more action, as teams combined 10 goal attempts as well as 3 shots on goal. However, it was Melbourne City who scored their second goal in the 50th minute, which gave them a healthy lead of 2 goals with 40 minutes left in the match. Despite Adelaide best efforts, they did not manage to score a goal, which meant they suffered the second defeat in a row. Final score: 0:2.
WS Wanderers are currently 8th in the league, with an overall record of 2-2-4 and a 1-1-3 in the last 5 games played. Much like Adelaide, Wanderers are also coming into this match with a defeat in their most recent match. Looking at the match against FC Sydney, WS Wanderers scored the opener in the 23rd minute, but their player (Janjetovic) received a red card only 3 minutes later, which put the home side in a big disadvantage. FC Sydney went on and scored in the 45’+1 which levelled the match. The second half was dominated by Sydney who had a 74% ball possession, 14 goal attempts and 3 shots on goal. Despite their shot conversion being relatively bad, they still managed to score 2 goals; in 57th and 81st minute. WS Wanderers on the other side had only 26% ball possession, 3 goal attempts and 1 shot on goal and no goals scored in the second half. The red card did play a part of WS Wanderers defeat, however, they were dominated for most of the match and with only a 28% ball possession in the match, we couldn’t expect a better result. Final score: 1:3.
With the red card, Janjetovic will not be playing in the upcoming fixture, which will put WS Wanderers in a slight disadvantage. But that won’t be the only problem for Wanderers, as they simply lack any depth in the squad and do not have a strong attack. They underperform against most teams in the league, with the only exception being the teams that sit at the bottom of the league. In away games, Wanderers only won 1 match out of 4 played, in addition, they managed to score only 4 goals and conceded 7 in the 4 away games, but keep in mind, they scored 3 against Mariners who have the worst defence in the league. Adelaide on the other side, don’t have a much better offence, simply because they fail to convert their goal attempts into a goal, which was seen in their last 2 games against Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory. Looking at the H2H matches between Adelaide and Wanderers, Adelaide is historically a better side, winning 3 out of 5 encounters, whereas 2 ended in a draw. For the upcoming match, I believe Adelaide should win it. They did fail to perform against their last 2 opponents, but this match will be easier for them as they are playing against a team that simply does not perform up to par this season.
Prediction: Adelaide United to win
Odds: 2.00 Pinnacle
