- Inter Lions FC have lost their last 5 consecutive games.
- Macarthur Rams have been inconsistent this season, with 1 win, 3 draws and 1 defeat in their last 5, although they did draw their last 2 games.
- Macarthur Rams have won none of their last 5 matches against Inter Lions FC (Inter Lions W1, D4).
Inter Lions’ defensive record must be addressed
Shane Cevenini’s Inter Lions FC have had a disastrous start to their New South Wales League 1 campaign, sitting rock-bottom of the table with 0 points from 6 matches. Cevenini’s team have failed to win any of their 6 games this season and are on a 5-game losing streak at the time of writing. Inter Lions’ defence has been their biggest concern, particularly on home turf, where they have lost both of their home matches this term, conceding an average of 4.00 goals per game.
Inter Lions’ style is much more structured than that of their opponents on Saturday, with Cevenini opting for stability over flair, often deploying his players in a compact 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation. The hosts will have to defend well if they are to avoid defeat on Saturday, but they may find it hard to contain the attacking talent of Macarthur Rams.
Macarthur Rams have the momentum
Sitting in 6th position in the New South Wales League 1 table with 9 points from 6 games, Daniel Mijovic’s Macarthur Rams have made a much better start to the season than their hosts, although a mid-table position is hardly anything to write home about. Macarthur have also shown themselves to be more consistent than their hosts, with 1 win, 3 draws and 1 defeat from their last 5 fixtures.
Mijovic’s young squad are much more attack-minded than Inter Lions, with their philosophy favouring pace, verticality and an aggressive pressing style. Their shape is flexible and can change from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1, depending on the opposition and how the game is playing out.
Backing the visitors at the odds-on price
Macarthur Rams are 1.63 favourites to take all 3 points on Saturday, which is a very clear odds-on for a side sitting 6th in the league table and have won none of their last 5 meetings. The hosts have not won any of their last 3 home games against Macarthur, although the last meeting between the pair finished 0-0 (Inter W1, D4, Macarthur W0 in last 5).
With all of the above in mind, we are going for Macarthur Rams to win on the road, as they will surely be the more motivated and more dangerous side in this one. The ‘Over 2.5 goals’ market is also very attractive at 1.49, as Inter Lions are very leaky at the back and Macarthur are likely to exploit this.
