- South Melbourne FC have won 4 and drawn 1 of their last 5 matches across all competitions.
- Fremantle City FC have won 3 and drawn 2 of their last 5 across all comps.
The Baysiders should be too sharp
Fremantle City FC come into this one as the long shots at 6.4, so they need to make their moves early if they are to upset the odds and take down the clear favourites, South Melbourne FC, who're coming in at a short 1.21.
That price for the home side looks about right considering the Baysiders have won 4 and drawn 1 of their last 5 games across all comps and are currently on a 3-game winning streak. Back-to-back home victories against Adelaide United FC and St Albans Saints have brought some swagger into this South Melbourne team and their recent cup exploits suggest that they'll have too much to be edged out by the West Australians.
Sinisa Cohadzic's team are possession-driven and shape-based, playing with a patient build-up style that sees them work hard to create opportunities but they are also not afraid to whip the ball in when the lanes are open. That makes them incredibly difficult to pin down as they can switch from a compact 4-4-2 to a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, with either formation allowing them to overcrowd central zones and stretch teams wide.
Fremantle have a lot of bite
The visitors are on a similar good run, winning 3 and drawing 2 of their last 5 in all comps. However, their style is much more pragmatic and reactive as they utilise their 4-3-3 to spring direct vertical attacks and punish teams in transition.
Fremantle's recent away scalps over Perth RedStar FC and Maitland show that they have the bite to land punches on the road, but this one will be a classic possession-versus-counter match. That means South Melbourne will look to keep things tight and Fremantle will try to spring direct vertical attacks and hit South Melbourne on dead balls.
Fremantle can keep this honest
South Melbourne have won 3, drawn 1 and lost 2 of their 6 home games across all competitions, so they are solid but not untouchable on their own turf. Fremantle City have conceded just 0.75 goals on average per away match across all competitions and have won 3 of their 4 on the road. That's a tidy return and one that should keep this game honest.
A look at the odds is necessary here, Over 2.5 goals at 1.29 and Both Teams to Score - Yes at 1.72 are both attractive and both fit the home teams style, but we're going for South Melbourne to win and Over 2.5 goals as they should edge this in an interesting game.
