Melbourne Victory vs. Adelaide United – A-League, March 13, 2021

Two teams in contrasting form clash at Marvel Stadium on Saturday, March 13, with struggling Melbourne Victory hosting high-flying Adelaide United.

A dismal run of five defeats in six games has left Victory rooted to the foot of the A-League ladder. Meanwhile, a three-game winning streak has seen Adelaide climb to fourth – nine points ahead of Grant Brebner’s side.

In this betting preview, I assess the bookmakers’ odds before sharing my Melbourne Victory vs. Adelaide United prediction and pick.

Strangely, 10bet views Melbourne Victory (2.50) as the marginal favorite to win this one. But as you can see, the odds gap for Saturday’s matchup is extremely tight.

Adelaide (2.55) heads into this match on the back of three straight wins, while Victory was crushed 6-0 in the Melbourne Derby last time out. Needless to say, the price for the away win stands out here.

After suffering four losses in five games, the last thing that Brebner’s men needed was a humiliating defeat to their arch rivals. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened last weekend.

Jamie Maclaren gave Melbourne City the lead in the first half, but the score was only 1-0 after 45 minutes. However, a second-half rout saw City score five goals after the break, completing a 6-0 demolition.

To make matters worse, Victory failed to register a single shot on target throughout the match.

Looking at the bigger picture, the Boys in Blues have only managed to win two of their ten games this season, recording one draw and seven losses along the way. Not only are they the second-lowest scorers in the A-League, but they also have the worst defensive record.

Having conceded 23 goals already, Victory is averaging over two goals against per game this term. Oh, and one of those goals came in a 1-0 defeat to Adelaide earlier in the campaign.

Preparing for battle. ⚔️? pic.twitter.com/bDuF19oOsR

— Adelaide United (@AdelaideUnited) March 10, 2021

When the two sides met back in January, Mohamed Toure netted the only goal of the game. But having notched up 11 shots (six on target), it’s fair to say that Adelaide should have inflicted a bigger defeat on Victory.

Following that game, the Reds suffered three straight defeats, losing to Brisbane, Perth, and Macarthur. But since then, three consecutive wins have propelled Adelaide up the A-League ladder.

The South Australians’ hot streak began with a 3-2 victory over the Mariners, before Carl Veart’s men beat the Wanderers by the same scoreline. Last time out, Adelaide beat Newcastle 2-1, with Louis D’Arrigo and Craig Goodwin getting on the scoresheet.

Goodwin has now bagged two goals in two appearances since returning to the club, while Tomi Juric has netted four times in seven outings, including a hat-trick against Central Coast.

Veart will be slightly concerned that his team has only managed to keep three clean sheets in ten games this season. Still, the Reds have scored eight goals across their last three outings.

This matchup brings together two sides moving in opposite directions, with Adelaide on the up and Victory struggling at the bottom of the standings.

The Reds have looked sharp in recent games and look set to challenge for the title this season. On the flip side, it feels like Brebner’s men are bereft of ideas at the moment.

All the signs are pointing towards an Adelaide win on Saturday.