Western United Vs Macarthur FC

Despite entering the 2022/23 season as the defending champions, Western United failed to live up to the expectations and suffered their second defeat last week at the hands of Sydney FC.

With no wins to their name, things can only get better for the Green & Black, and they surely have to feel optimistic about their next clash with Macarthur FC.

When: Friday, October 21 – 19:45 AEDT
Where: AAMI Park in Melbourne, Australia
Weather: Cloudy, 20°C

Following their disappointing showing at AAMI Park last week, Western United will play another match on home soil as the defending A-League champions get ready to face Macarthur FC. Having failed to collect a single point this season, the upcoming affair will be critical for the hosts to win – not only to calm down their fans but also to keep their title chances alive.

Whether they can deliver and collect their first W is anyone’s guess, but the poor start to the season has definitely made Western United a less appealing pick in the eyes of many.

Western United

Desperate for a win, Western United will clash with the Bulls in what promises to be an exciting affair between a win-hungry squad and the perpetual underdogs, who have clawed their way to four points after two rounds of action.

It’s hard to look past Western United’s record this season – a 1-2 defeat against Melbourne City and a 1-3 loss against Sydney FC. But while the results don’t look good on paper, there’s more to WU’s recent meeting than meets the eye.

Against Sydney FC, Western United were clearly the weaker team, but we have to praise goalkeeper Jamie Young, who did a fine job keeping the scoreline relatively tamed. He made four saves while the defensive line did enough to prove that Western United can do well against good offensive teams.

It’s also worth noting that against Sydney FC, Western United attempted 11 shots, five of which went straight towards the target. Before that, WU mustered up nine shots against City, with a similar success rate of four shots on target.

Whether WU were inefficient with their attempts or just a bit unlucky is up to debate, but they’ve shown good football and seem poised to break the deadlock sooner or later. And the upcoming bout might be a great chance for the Green & Black to do so.

Macarthur FC

Macarthur FC are 1-1-0 after two rounds of play, which is fairly impressive. However, we wouldn’t value their performances much higher than Western United’s and that is mainly due to the quality of the opponents the Bulls had to face.

In the season opener, Macarthur played a draw against Brisbane Roar (0-0) in a match that could’ve easily ended in the hosts’ favour. Then in the second round, the Bulls won against Adelaide United (2-0), but again, that’s hardly something to write home about.

It’s easy to look good playing against weaker teams – and that’s the case with Macarthur FC’s recent showings. But a closer look at Macarthur’s showing against Adelaide even puts that statement under question.

They won with a convincing scoreline, but the Bulls leaked 21 shots and had only 36% ball possession. In fact, if we hadn’t known the final score and looked only at the stats, we wouldn’t have guessed that Macarthur FC won.

In contrast to Western United, who might have been a bit unlucky not to do better in their recent outings, Macarthur FC are the complete opposite. This might sound like a biased take, but there are figures to back it up.

Western United vs Macarthur FC Betting Odds

Western United are priced as 2.00 ( 2.00 Pinnacle) favourites for this bout, Macarthur FC as 3.40 (3.75 Pinnacle) underdogs, while a draw is at 3.90 (3.81 Pinnacle). Regardless of the team’s total points this season, the odds seem about right.

Notably, Western United were priced at 2.10 when the market opened four days back, so the odds haven’t shifted by too much. Meanwhile, Macarthur FC were 3.33 favourites on the 16th, with their odds rising considerably and for all the right reasons.

Western United vs Macarthur FC Team A-League Betting Picks

There are many ways this match can end, but no matter how you look at it, there are more reasons to trust Western United. They have been playing well this season and are undeniably much better than their total tally would suggest.

Moreover, in their most recent clash with Sydney FC, WU have shown some good qualities and could’ve potentially forced at least one point had they been a bit luckier with their shots. In contrast, Macarthur have been winning points without playing well – and that isn’t really something you can count on continuing to happen in the long run.

And we can’t forget that Western United are the reigning A-League champions, so clearly, this is a good team. And just like any good team, Western United are bound to find traction sooner or later.

The only A-League betting pick you can take here and feel good about it is Western United to take down the Bulls and get their names on the board.