Oakleigh Cannons will welcome Melbourne City to the Jack Edwards Reserve in the round of 32 of the Australia Cup on Sunday.
The hosts made it to the semi-finals in the previous edition of the competition and suffered a 5-2 defeat to eventual champions Macarthur. The visitors, on the other hand, were eliminated from the round of 16 itself, suffering a 2-1 defeat to Wellington Phoenix.
The hosts booked their place in the round of 32 of the competition through the preliminary round, defeating Geelong SC 5-0 in the seventh round. They are unbeaten in their last three games in all competitions and in their previous outing, defeated the North Geelong Warriors 4-2 on Tuesday.
The visitors finished as runners-up in the A-League Championship to the Central Coast Mariners in June and will play their first competitive match since that defeat.
Oakleigh Cannons vs Melbourne City Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have met three times thus far with all meetings being friendlies. As expected, the visitors have dominated proceedings against the hosts with a 100% record in these meetings.
- They last met in a friendly in 2019, with the visitors recording a 4-3 away win. It was the first time that the hosts had scored a goal against the visitors, with the previous two games ending in 10-0 and 8-0 wins for the visitors.
- The hosts have suffered just two defeats in their last 19 matches in all competitions, recording 15 wins in that period.
- The visitors have suffered just one defeat in their last 11 games in all competitions.
- Oakleigh are unbeaten in their last 13 home games in all competitions and have kept four clean sheets in a row.
Oakleigh Cannons vs Melbourne City Prediction
The Cannons have gone unbeaten in their last three games in all competitions, recording two wins and keeping two clean sheets. At home, they have won 11 of their last 13 games and will look to make the most of the home advantage against the reigning A-League Premiers.
City will play their first competitive match of the season and, having suffered a defeat in the A-League Grand Final in their last competitive game, they'll look to get their season underway with a win.
While the hosts made it to the semi-finals of the Australia Cup last season and have recently been in impressive home form, City will prove to be tough opponents for them. We expect the hosts to produce a strong display but considering the visitors' dominance in the head-to-head record and advantage in terms of squad quality, they should be able to record a win.
Prediction: Oakleigh Cannons 1-2 Melbourne City
Oakleigh Cannons vs Melbourne City Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Melbourne City to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 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