Predictions and Best Bets for A-League Round 4 (December 8-12, 2021)

Round 4 of the 2021-22 A-League season gets underway on Wednesday, December 8, as Melbourne City welcomes Perth Glory to AAMI Park.

Newcastle and Wellington go head-to-head on Friday, with a further three games taking place on Saturday. Finally, Central Coast and Sydney FC wrap up Round 4 on Sunday.

Here is the schedule in full.

Right, it’s time to get stuck into my A-League predictions. I also share a handful of top betting picks for Round 4, so make sure you stick around for those at the end.

The reigning champions kicked off their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Brisbane Roar before drawing 2-2 with Adelaide United. However, they suffered their first defeat of the season last weekend.

Despite enjoying 66% possession and racking up 21 shots, Melbourne City was beaten 1-0 by Western United.

Meanwhile, Perth claimed an impressive 3-0 win over Melbourne Victory. Antonee Gilroy, Ciaran Bramwell, and Bruno Fornaroli all scored in the second half to secure the points for their side.

The Glory and City have identical records at the moment, having registered a win, a draw, and a loss from their opening three games.

Newcastle dominated Central Coast on the opening weekend but failed to avoid defeat. In their last two games, however, the Jets have shown plenty of promise.

Arthur Papas’ side held the Wanderers to a 2-2 draw before recording exactly the same result against Sydney FC in Round 3. As you can see, Valentino Yuel has been the star of the show so far.

As for the Nix, they were beaten 2-0 by Western Sydney last time out. Despite the best efforts of Gary Hooper, Wellington has struggled in attack during the early stages of the season.

The Jets have yet to win this term, registering two draws and one loss in the process. Still, I can see them notching their first victory of the campaign against an inconsistent Wellington outfit.

Western United has made an eye-catching start to the season. Yes, John Aloisi’s men lost their first match to Melbourne Victory. But since then, they have turned things around in style.

After beating Perth 1-0, Western got the better of the defending champs on Saturday. Dylan Wenzel-Halls netted the only goal of the game, and he also converted his team’s sole attempt on target.

On the flip side, the Roar sits rock bottom of the A-League ladder. Warren Moon’s men lost each of their first two games before drawing with Adelaide last weekend.

Brisbane has already conceded five goals this season, scoring just a single goal in reply. With that in mind, I’m confident that Western will pick up all three points on Saturday.

It seems as though Adelaide has already gained a reputation as the A-League’s draw specialist for the 2021-22 campaign. That’s because the Reds have drawn each of their opening three outings.

The South Australians held Perth to a 1-1 draw before coming from 2-0 down to tie with Melbourne City in Round 2. Last time out, they held Brisbane to a goalless draw in Queensland.

It is worth noting that Victory had to play the entirety of the second half with ten men after Rai Marchan was sent off just before half-time. That enabled the Glory to exploit Victory’s backline.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Adelaide and Victory play out a draw on Saturday. The Reds have done enough to avoid defeat so far this season, but they can’t seem to turn one point into three.

Only three A-League teams remain unbeaten in 2021-22, and two of them go head-to-head at CommBank Stadium on Saturday.

The Wanderers sit fourth on the ladder, having registered a win and two draws. Meanwhile, the Bulls find themselves first after taking seven points from a possible nine.

Western Sydney drew with both Sydney FC and Newcastle before beating the Nix 2-0 last time out. Tomer Hemed and John Koutroumbis grabbed the goals against Wellington.

There is very little to separate these two sides at the moment. For that reason, the draw feels like the most probable outcome for this matchup.

There is just a single point between Sydney FC and Central Coast as the two sides prepare to face off in Gosford on Sunday. Unfortunately, they both find themselves at the wrong end of the ladder.

Having recorded two draws and a loss, the Sky Blues are second from bottom in the standings. The Mariners, on the other hand, sit ninth after losing each of their past two matches.

Following a 2-1 defeat to Wellington, CCM lost 1-0 to Macarthur on Sunday. It is clear that scoring goals is going to be a problem for Central Coast this season.

In the previous round, Adam Le Fondre and Elvis Kamsoba gave Sydney FC a 2-0 lead inside 30 minutes against Newcastle. However, Steve Corica’s team ended up conceding two second-half goals.

Here are my top betting picks for Round 4 of the 2021-22 A-League season.

Not only have the Jets scored five goals this season, but they have also conceded six. With that in mind, I expect Newcastle and Wellington to dish up over 2.5 goals.

I’m confident that Western will get the better of Brisbane this weekend. Aloisi’s side heads into Round 4 on a two-game winning streak, while the Roar remains winless after three matches.

Western Sydney and Macarthur have played a combined total of six games this season, but only one of those games has produced over 2.5 goals. For that reason, I can see them playing out a low-scoring encounter.

If you’re betting on Round 4, make sure you place your wagers with only the best A-League betting sites.