Perth Glory vs Adelaide United
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Today’s free tip is in the Australian A-League encounter between Perth Glory and Adelaide United.
Adelaide United seemed to get a lot of praise for their performance in their defeat against Sydney FC last weekend. One thing I liked about seeing it was that they rediscovered their backbone, you know? They refused to go down without a fight. On another day, they might have got something too, especially if they kept McGree on. He’s not 100% fit yet though, so it made sense to withdraw him.
However, despite that positive, I thought that the negatives outweighed the positives. Yes, they caused some problems but who can be surprised? Sydney FC had kids in both full-back positions, no legs in the middle of the park, and looked knackered in general. Sydney FC isn’t an especially fit side, you see. It’s not laden with players that need to run a lot in order to do their respective jobs. However, not having the right players to control the game led to Adelaide United basically overrunning them. I don’t think Adelaide United did anything special.
I mean, in all honesty, Adelaide United should be disappointed. They gave away a sloppy opener – again – and failed to make their possession count despite, what – twenty-five minutes on the front foot in the second-half? At times, Sydney FC were hemmed in their own box but still didn’t have that much to worry about. I know Toure was out – and still is – but as much as I loved seeing their backbone return, I think Adelaide United let themselves down. Circumstances favoured them, and they failed to capitalise.
Now Adelaide United have to take on a tough trip to Perth, which there’s no easy way to deal with. McGree should last the full ninety; that’s a plus for The Reds. I think there’s a lack of confidence in their squad though, which happens after a bad run. They can’t really afford to rotate though, due to a lack of depth, so unless McGree intends on carrying his team today, I can’t see how a trip to Perth would be welcomed. Adelaide United’s only real route to goal right now is via breaks, and Perth Glory always keep men back under Popovic; that’s his style. How else are Adelaide United going to score? A bit of magic from Halloran? It happens sometimes, but given that it happened against Central Coast Mariners recently, it’s hard to believe it’ll happen in the near future.
No, Adelaide United are really up against it here. Perth Glory have really turned a corner lately, properly instigating Fornaroli into their squad. Sounds daft, after what – a year? – but they’ve finally discovered a way to provide him with the service he needs. Subsequently, he’s scoring goals, thus playing with more confidence, and is now even creating chances for others. With a focal point to their attack, Perth Glory are deadly because that midfield of theirs has everything. Furthermore, their wing-backs are doing a sterling job now, especially Meredith. They’re fit, hungry, and have excellent levels of cohesion. What’s not to like?
Typically, a Popovic team is marvellous tactically, and this one is not an exception. No matter what formation utilised, Perth Glory are effective. They’re good from open play, on the break, from set pieces. They’re good at controlling games. They’re good at holding leads. A case could be made for them not being as efficient as the Perth Glory of last season, it’s true, but make no mistake – this is still really strong team, particularly at home.
To me, this is the kind of team that Adelaide United hate playing against because they’re not given any room. Without room, Adelaide United seldom get anywhere; they don’t have the right personnel for such, particularly with rapid wide threat Toure and playmaker Troisi both out today. By contrast, Perth Glory can quickly adapt to most situations and they’ve got a lot of match-winners on their books too, not to mention experienced heads. I’d happily argue that this is the most complete squad in the division right now. That doesn’t guarantee them silverware but with Popovic at the helm, it guarantees them a damn good chance. Beating a demoralised, struggling Adelaide United at home should not be problematic for them at this time, to be frank.
Therefore, I’m on the home win here.
Verdict: Perth Glory to win at 4/5.
Saturday’s Thoughts
As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts. For confidence ratings, you’ll need to go to the members section here.
Australian A-League:
Wellington Phoenix vs Western Sydney Wanderers
Brisbane Roar vs Melbourne City
Perth Glory vs Adelaide United
English Premier League:
Crystal Palace vs Arsenal
Chelsea vs Burnley
Everton vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Leicester City vs Southampton
Manchester United vs Norwich City
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Newcastle United
Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool
French Ligue 1:
Girondins de Bordeaux vs Olympique Lyonnais
Amiens SC vs Montpellier HSC
Angers SCO vs OGC Nice
Metz vs Racing Club Strasbourg
Nimes Olympique vs Stade de Reims
Toulouse vs Stade Brestois
Israeli Ligat Ha’al:
Hapoel Haifa vs MS Ashdod
Hapoel Ra’anana vs Hapoel Be’er Sheva
Ironi Kiryat Shmona vs Hapoel Hadera
Maccabi Netanya vs Maccabi Haifa
Italian Serie A:
Cagliari vs AC Milan
SS Lazio vs SSC Napoli
Internazionale vs Atalanta Bergamo
Portuguese Liga 1:
Portimonense vs Pacos de Ferreira
Boavista vs Famalicao
Vitoria Setubal vs Sporting Clube de Portugal
Portuguese Liga 2:
Feirense vs FC Porto II
SL Benfica II vs Casa Pia
Sporting Covilha vs Estoril
Chaves vs Leixoes Matosinhos
Spanish Copa del Rey:
Haro Deportivo vs CA Osasuna
Zamora vs Real Mallorca
Real Murcia vs Leganes CF
Portugalete vs Real Betis Balompie
Badalona vs Getafe
Sestao vs Athletic Club
Marbella vs Real Valladolid
Orihuela vs Villarreal CF
Tamaraceite vs Granada CF
Enjoy your free betting tips!