Adelaide v Sydney betting

Adelaide will be full of confidence going into this Sunday’s home game against Sydney, after qualifying for the AFC Champions League on Thursday night.

The reds earned an emphatic 3-0 win over Indonesian Champions Persipura Jayapura, and will now believe they can pull off a similar performance in front of their home fans against Sydney.

Only 4 points separates Adelaide and Sydney in the ladder, and even less of a margin splits them in terms of previous clashes. Adelaide have 13 wins to Sydney’s 14 and have shared the points on 7 occasions.

Sydney have had the better of Adelaide this season however with a 2-1 away win over the reds in week three followed by a hard fought 2-2 draw in the team’s second clash of the season. But it’s home advantage that still makes Adelaide slight favourites with Luxbet at 2.45 to Sydney’s 2.75.

Both sides have had seasons marred by inconsistency, but one constant Adelaide can always rely on is Dutchman Sergio Van Dijk’s ability to find goals. He’s maintained his reputation as one of the league’s most clinical finishers, despite not reaching the level thatearned him the golden boot last season.

The 29 year Old’s in good form after netting the third and putting the victory beyond all doubt with a trademark finish against Persipura. Van Dijk is favourite to be an anytime goalscorer at 2.25 with Sports Bet.

However for Adelaide, it’s not been in attack where their biggest problems lie. They’ve got the worst defensive record in the league having conceded 36 goals.

If Sydney can capitalize on Adelaide’s shaky rear-guard it’s most likely that Bruno Cazarine will punish them. With 7 goals to his name, the technically gifted Brazilian has become well known for his deft touch and is Sydney’s most prolific goal threat, despite not always cementing a first team place. The 28 year old has odds of 2.63 with Sports Bet to be an anytime goalscorer.

Sydney will also travel with their tenacious star midfielder Bret Emerton. The Australian international made his return against Perth last week, so should be close to a 100% when he takes the field on Sunday. The Marquee player is at 4.00 to be an anytime goalscorer with SportsBet.
Both teams know that 3 points could slingshot them up a very tight table with the gap between Adelaide in 9th and 5th place only being 5 points. Home advantage could just give Adelaide the edge they need, plus they’ll be rejuvenated after qualifying for the AFC Champions League which could give them the boost they need to have a much improved final third of the season and finish in the top 6.

The fact both teams will be out for the 3 points could make this a compelling tie, and with both having vulnerable back fours there could be plenty of goals to make it far more than an unattractive mid-table scrap.

Article by Jonathan Hart