Melbourne Victory vs. Western United – A-League, Wednesday, March 23, 2022

The two best defenses in the A-League go head-to-head this Wednesday, March 23, as Melbourne Victory welcomes Western United to AAMI Park.

Having conceded 18 goals, Victory sits sixth on the A-League ladder. On the flip side, Western sits second – ten points ahead of Victory – after conceding just 17 goals in 17 games this season.

You can find my Melbourne Victory vs. Western United prediction below, along with a free betting pick. First, let’s check out the A-League odds for Wednesday’s clash.

Despite Western’s ten-point lead over Victory, the A-League betting sites view Tony Popovic’s side as the favorite to win this one. It is worth noting that Victory is currently enjoying a four-game unbeaten streak.

That said, John Aloisi’s boys have lost just one of their previous ten games – picking up six wins and three draws in the process. For that reason, the visitors will fancy their chances of upsetting the A-League odds at AAMI Park.

I have also included a couple of goal-based markets here. Since both sides have strong defenses, the under 2.5 goals wager is definitely worth considering.

A five-game winless run across January and February ruined Victory’s strong start to the season. The Boys in Blue lost just one of their opening eight games before recording two draws and three straight losses.

However, they appear to have turned the corner in recent weeks. Following back-to-back wins over Central Coast Mariners and Macarthur FC, they notched successive draws earlier this month.

It is worth pointing out that Melbourne City is 11 points ahead of Victory on the A-League ladder. Although the Boys in Blue struggled to gain possession, they were able to rack up 11 shots.

Only four teams have scored more goals than Victory’s 21 this season. Still, the Melbourne outfit boasts the second-best defensive record in the competition. Having conceded a measly 18 goals, Victory will be confident of frustrating Western.

Western headed into last weekend’s clash against Syndey FC on a nine-game unbeaten streak. Thanks to a run of six wins and three draws, the Green & Black was keeping pace with Melbourne City.

However, Western ended up suffering a 3-0 loss to the Sky Blues last time out. Not only did Aloisi’s boys see 45% of the ball, but they also managed just two shots on target.

That said, they have only lost four of their 17 A-League encounters this season – securing ten wins and three draws along the way. Having picked up more wins than anyone else, they should get back on track in no time at all.

As a result, only seven of Western’s 17 encounters have produced over 2.5 goals. It is also worth pointing out that Western has kept eight clean sheets this season.

All the signs point towards a low-scoring clash here. We all know that Victory and Western boast solid defensive records, but they also struggle to score goals at times.

As I already mentioned, ten of Western’s 17 games have dished up under 2.5 goals. On the flip side, seven of Victory’s 15 games have produced under 2.5 goals. I think you know where I’m going with this, right?

Given that Western leads Victory by ten points on the A-League ladder, the visitors could – and probably should – claim all three points on Wednesday. Still, the hosts look set to put up a good fight.

If you’re feeling brave, I recommend backing Western at 4.00. Aloisi’s men have lost just one of their previous ten matches and have secured more wins than any other side this season.

That said, the under 2.5 goals wager is my Melbourne Victory vs. Western United betting pick. This is destined to be a low-scoring affair, so opting for the under 2.5 goals market feels like the smart move here.