Perth Glory vs. Melbourne City – A-League, May 5, 2021

The Glory’s Finals Series hopes are hanging by a thread as they prepare to host league-leaders Melbourne City on Wednesday, May 5.

A damaging five-match winless run has left Perth third from bottom on the A-League ladder – nine points outside the top six. Meanwhile, a five-game unbeaten streak has seen City open up a three-point lead at the summit.

Can the struggling hosts upset the A-League odds? Keep reading to find my Perth Glory vs. Melbourne City prediction and betting pick.

10bet has continuously backed the Glory to turn things around and start winning soccer matches this season. But following another series of below-par results, Perth is the clear outsider to win this one.

Melbourne City is currently the bookmakers’ favorite to clinch the premiership title, so Patrick Kisnorbo’s side is expected to claim all three points without any issues on Wednesday.

Nevertheless, I assess both sides’ chances below.

You would think that a club of Perth’s stature would be able to recover from a five-match winless streak and make a late charge for a top-six finish. But when you look at the bigger picture, things look extremely bleak for the Glory.

Indeed, Richard Garcia’s men have only managed to win one of their previous 11 games – registering four draws and six defeats along the way.

At the other end of the pitch, it’s a completely different story. Perth has conceded a whopping 32 goals this season, while only two sides – second-bottom Melbourne Victory and inconsistent Western Sydney – have conceded more.

Thankfully, the Glory have several games in hand over many of their rivals. But if they don’t start winning soon, they can wave goodbye to a top-six finish.

Kisnorbo’s men enhanced their premiership ambitions by sealing an easy 3-1 victory over Newcastle last time out, with goals from Andrew Nabbout, Scott Jamieson, and Jamie Maclaren sealing the deal.

Maclaren has now netted 20 goals in 18 A-League games this season, including eight in his previous five appearances. It goes without saying that Perth must keep him quiet to get anything from Wednesday’s clash.

While Maclaren has undoubtedly been the star of the show this year, City’s all-around game has been unrivaled. Following a sticky start to the campaign, the Melbourne outfit now looks like the strongest team in the country by a considerable margin.

A remarkable run of just one defeat in their last 12 matches (nine wins, two draws) has seen Kisborbo’s men take control of the A-League title race. With two games in hand over second-place Central Coast and third-place Sydney FC, City is in pole position to clinch the premiership crown.

Granted, the price for the away win is nothing to write home about here. But when you consider the contrasting form of these two sides, odds of 1.58 for City to beat Perth are actually pretty generous.

Having won nine of their last 12 games, Kisnorbo’s men should ease past a Glory team that has only managed to register one victory in 11 outings.