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Melbourne City will invite Macarthur to the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in the A-League on Sunday.
The visitors registered their first win of the season last week after back-to-back defeats and moved to eighth place in the league standings. Goals from Steven Ugarkovic and Jamie Maclaren helped them record a 2-0 home win over Sydney. They failed to build on that form in their AFC Champions League, suffering a 1-0 loss to Buriram United on Wednesday.
The visitors have enjoyed an unbeaten start to their league campaign and have recorded two wins on the trot. In their previous outing, Ali Auglah's goal in the third minute of added time helped them record a 1-0 win over Western United. They continued their unbeaten run in the AFC Cup, recording an impressive 5-0 win over Phnom Penh Crown on Thursday.
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Melbourne City vs Macarthur Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have locked horns seven times in the A-League thus far, with the hosts enjoying an unbeaten run against the visitors. They have five wins to their name and just two meetings have ended in draws.
- Last season, City registered an emphatic 6-1 home win and the reverse fixture ended in a 1-1 draw.
- Melbourne City have a 100% record in home meetings against the visitors, scoring 14 goals while conceding just twice in four games.
- Macarthur have scored just four goals against the hosts in seven games thus far.
- The visitors have scored just four goals in three league games thus far, with two of these goals coming in their away game against the Central Coast Mariners.
- The hosts have scored three goals in as many games this season while conceding eight goals in that period.
- The visitors have won just one of their last nine away games in the A-League, suffering defeats in the remaining eight games.
Melbourne City vs Macarthur Prediction
City have been inconsistent recently, with three wins and losses apiece in their last six games across all competitions. They have failed to score in two of their last four games and have kept two clean sheets in these games as well. They have just one win in their last five home games in all competitions and might struggle here.
The Bulls have registered three wins on the trot and will look to build on that form in this match. Interestingly, they have never kept a clean sheet against the hosts thus far.
While the hosts have dominated proceedings against the visitors, their current form has been dodgy. Though the visitors head into the match on a three-game winning run across all competitions, they have just one win in their last nine away games in the A-League.
With that in mind and considering the home advantage for City, a low-scoring draw might ensue.
Prediction: Melbourne City 1-1 Macarthur
Melbourne City vs Macarthur Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Draw
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Jamie Maclaren to score or assist any time - Yes
