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Melbourne City will invite Sydney to the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in the A-League on Friday.
Surprisingly, the two teams find themselves at the bottom of the league table after losing their first two league games of the season. The hosts are in 12th place in the standings while the visitors are in 11th place. Alongside reigning champions Central Coast Mariners, they are the only two teams suffering defeats in their first two games of the season.
Melbourne were humbled 6-0 in their away games against Adelaide United last week. Sydney, meanwhile, fell to a 3-0 away loss at Brisbane Roar in their previous outing.
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The home team have recorded back-to-back wins in the AFC Champions League, but surprisingly, they have failed to reproduce that form in the A-League. The visitors won the Australia Cup last month but have failed to build on that form in the league thus far.
Melbourne City vs Sydney Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have squared off 43 times in all competitions since 2011. They have contested these games closely, with the visitors having a narrow 17-15 lead in wins and 11 games ending in draws.
- They have met four times in 2023 across all competitions thus far, with their last meeting coming in the semi-final of the Australia Cup in September, which Sydney won 2-1. Melbourne City have two wins in that period and one meeting has ended in a draw.
- Seven of their last eight meetings in all competitions have produced over 2.5 goals.
- The hosts have the worst defensive record in the A-League this season, conceding eight goals in two games. The visitors, meanwhile, have the worst attacking record as they are the only team yet to open their goalscoring account in the league.
Melbourne City vs Sydney Prediction
City have just two wins in their last six games in all competitions, with both coming in away games in the AFC Champions League. Interestingly, they have recorded just one win in their last four home games, suffering two defeats.
They have won their last three home meetings in the A-League against the visitors, outscoring them 10-4 in that period. They parted ways with head coach Rado Vidošić after a poor start to the season and will play their first game under the tutelage of Aurelio Vidmar.
The Sky Blues have failed to score in their first two league games of the season and will be desperate to open their goalscoring account. They stand a good chance of finding the back of the net against the hosts, who have conceded eight times in two games.
They have scored at least two goals in five of their last seven away meetings against City, which bodes well for them. Defender Joel King is expected to play for the first time in the league this season as he has recovered from a calf injury, providing head coach Steve Corica with options to rotate his squad.
Nonetheless, considering the struggles of the two teams, a low-scoring draw seems to be on the cards.
Prediction: Melbourne City 1-1 Sydney
Melbourne City vs Sydney 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 first half - Yes
Tip 4: Jamie Maclaren to score or assist any time - Yes
