Wellington Phoenix vs. Melbourne Victory – A-League, March 24, 2021

It is no secret that Melbourne Victory is struggling massively at the moment, with just two wins coming in their opening 11 games this season. However, one of those wins came against Wellington last month.

Grant Brebner’s men face the Nix again on Wednesday, March 24. Tenth-place Wellington currently leads last-place Victory by five points, but the Boys in Blue have a huge chance to close that gap at WIN Stadium.

If you’re planning to wager on Wednesday’s A-League clash, make sure you check out my Wellington Phoenix vs. Melbourne Victory betting preview below.

As I just mentioned, Victory picked up a rare win over Wellington last month. Still, the top-rated online sportsbooks have made the Nix the clear favorites to claim all three points this time around.

We all know that Brebner’s men are underachieving right now, but the Nix aren’t exactly firing on all cylinders. With that in mind, the odds for the draw and the away win look very attractive here.

The Nix have only managed to win three of their 12 games this term, picking up three draws and six defeats along the way. In fact, if it weren’t for the poor form of Newcastle and Victory, Ufuk Talay’s side would almost certainly be further down the ladder.

Having won just one of their opening eight matches, Wellington stunned everyone by securing back-to-back victories over the Jets (2-0) and the Glory (3-0). However, the Kiwis have since managed to pick up one point for their previous two outings.

After losing 4-3 to Western Sydney, Talay’s men drew 1-1 with Brisbane on Sunday. Tomer Hemed gave Wellington the lead before Golgol Mebrahtu equalized on 86 minutes.

In fairness, the Nix dominated large spells of the game. They even notched up 21 shots on the Roar’s goal, although they finished the match with 40% possession.

The visit of Victory should present Wellington with an ideal opportunity to return to winning ways. Having said that, the New Zealanders have been wildly unpredictable this season.

A frustrating end to the night.

Our focus quickly turns to #WELvMVC this Wednesday night at WIN Stadium ?

⚫️? | https://t.co/SAVRs4rhYc pic.twitter.com/JwXmLGaR66

— Wellington Phoenix (@WgtnPhoenixFC) March 21, 2021

On the flip side, Victory’s campaign just keeps on going from bad to worse.

A 3-1 defeat to Adelaide last week means that Brebner’s men have lost six of their last seven outings. On top of that, they have let in a worrying 20 goals during that period – conceding over 2.5 goals on four separate occasions.

Considering those statistics, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that Victory currently has the poorest defensive record in the A-League. But to make matters worse, the Boys in Blue are also the joint-lowest scorers in the division.

A Rudy Gestede brace handed Victory a 2-0 win over Wellington four games ago. But since then, the team has suffered three straight defeats – conceding 13 goals in the process.

Of course, Brebner’s men can take confidence from the fact that they beat the Nix last month. However, it isn’t easy to imagine them doing the double over Wellington.

In my opinion, the price for the Wellington win is far too low here. Yes, Victory is enduring a difficult campaign. But the Boys in Blue have already beaten the Nix this term.

Having taken everything into account, I believe the draw is the best bet for Wellington Phoenix vs. Melbourne Victory. Neither side can afford to lose this one, so they will both be happy to settle for a point.