Perth Glory vs. Adelaide United Betting Preview – A-League, January 20, 2021

Following numerous delays, Perth Glory will finally get their 2020/21 A-League season underway when Adelaide United comes to town on Wednesday, January 20.

Perth is the only team yet to play a game this term. On the other hand, the Reds have made an unbeaten start – recording a win and a draw so far.

I assess the bookies’ odds before providing my Perth Glory vs. Adelaide United prediction and betting pick.

Despite not playing a competitive match for over six weeks, Perth Glory (2.10) is the bookmakers’ favorite to claim all three points on Wednesday.

As you can see, 10bet views Adelaide United (3.15) as the outsider. But given the start that the Reds have made, I’m really tempted by the big price for the away win here.

Due to the pandemic, Perth’s season was always going to be delayed slightly. But after the original start date of January 16 was pushed back even further, the Glory will now begin their catch-up act with most sides already two or three games into their campaigns.

Of course, all the uncertainty isn’t ideal for the team’s preparations. But I’m sure head coach Richard Garcia will be using the extra time wisely.

After finishing sixth and losing to Sydney FC in the semi-finals last term, Perth participated in the AFC Champions League in November and December. However, the Western Australians only managed to pick up one point from their six group games – suffering five defeats along the way.

The Glory enjoyed two contrasting results against the Reds in the previous campaign. Following a dominant 3-0 victory on home soil, Garcia’s men were dealt a hefty 5-3 defeat in Adelaide.

Bruno Fornaroli scored in both games against Adelaide last season. The Uruguayan has netted 14 goals in 35 appearances since arriving from Melbourne City in 2019, making him Perth’s obvious danger man.

.@PerthGloryFC head coach @RichGarcia19 had one big goal ahead of their season starting this weekend: secure top-shelf defensive talent.https://t.co/DA1AzFj2Bq

— A-League (@ALeague) January 13, 2021

Meanwhile, Adelaide could hardly have wished for a better start to the season. Sure, two wins would have been nice. But having taken four points from a possible six, the South Australians can’t have too many complaints.

The Reds were pushed all the way by Western United in their first match, with the two sides eventually registering a goalless draw. Last time out, Carl Veart’s men secured a hugely impressive 2-0 victory over Melbourne City.

Admittedly, Adelaide was made to wait for the win. But following Scott Jamieson’s red card midway through the second half, goals from Tomi Juric and Stefan Mauk sealed the deal.

Having missed out on a top-six finish in 2019/20, beating last season’s runner-up so early in the new campaign will have filled Veart’s men with bags of confidence. They will now head to Perth with a spring in their step.

Ultimately, the price for the away win is far too big to ignore here. The Reds have made a very solid start to the season, and I’m backing them to extend their unbeaten run in Western Australia.

Perth will be rusty after weeks without any competitive action, while Adelaide is already in the groove. With that in mind, I’m confident that Garcia’s side will get the job done on Wednesday.