Newcastle Jets vs Melbourne Victory Prediction: Badolato to get one over former side

Newcastle Jets endured heartbreak in the F3 Derby against Central Coast Mariners last Sunday, losing 3-2, and it was a desperately disappointing outcome for me, too, as I had tipped the Jets to win (23/20) and Eli Adams (15/8) to score. Of course, Adams saw a 97th-minute penalty saved, and the Mariners went up the other end and struck a last-gasp winner.

Undeterred, I return with my Newcastle Jets vs Melbourne Victory predictions for Friday's Australian A-League Men's fixture at McDonald Jones Stadium (09:35 BST, TNT Sports 1). The visitors, Victory, began their 2025/26 campaign with a goalless draw at home to Auckland FC last Saturday.

Team News

Adams and Lucas Scicluna (both unspecified) have been ruled out of Friday's game, joining the already-sidelined Jets quartet of Kota Mizinuma (knock), Noah James (knee), Clayton Taylor and Alex Nassiep (both unspecified).

Head coach Mark Milligan could hand English defender Joe Shaughnessy, who missed last week's defeat in Gosford, his ALM debut.

Kosta Grozos is back from suspension, while Mark Natta and Will Dobson, neither of whom were included in the matchday squad against the Mariners, have been named on the long list this week.

Football Odds

Victory are missing long-term injury victim Brendan Hammill (knee), as well as skipper Roderick Miranda (foot) and midfielder Louis D'Arrigo (unspecified).

The visitors are also welcoming back a player, right-back Joshua Rawlins, from a ban.

Newcastle Jets vs Melbourne Victory Odds

The Jets won last season's corresponding fixture 3-0 in February, and Milligan's side are 9/5, or a 35.7% chance, to beat Victory again on home soil. The visitors, meanwhile, are 23/20 (46.5%) to end a four-game winless run in Newcastle and beat the Jets there for the first time since April 2022 (1-2).

These sides last met at AAMI Park in May, playing out a 1-1 draw in Melbourne. Another stalemate between the two teams can be backed at 5/2, while a repeat of that scoreline is available at 7/1.

Anytime Goalscorer - Alexander Badolato (NEW) @ 3/1

I was instantly drawn in this market to Jets forward Lachlan Rose (7/4), who I expect to start on Friday after netting off the bench against the Mariners last Sunday.

However, the real value, in my opinion, lies with 20-year-old attacking midfielder Alexander Badolato (3/1), who joined the Jets from Western Sydney Wanderers in the off-season, having made nine appearances on loan at Victory in the first half of the calendar year.

Today's Football Fixtures

Badolato failed to catch fire at Victory, ending the 2025/26 campaign with zero goals, but he's already off the mark in the league for his new side, opening the scoring against the Mariners in the 14th minute. It was his second goal for the Jets, having scored the winner on his debut in a 2-1 Australia Cup victory over Adelaide United on July 30.

The Australia U20 international will be looking to get one over his former loan side on Friday, and following last week's stunning long-range strike in the F3 Derby, he should be full of confidence for the visit of Victory.

Player to Receive a Card - Aleksandar Susnjar (NEW) @ 9/5

Jets defender Aleksandar Susnjar has been a regular receiver of cards in the ALM, picking up 19 yellows and one red across 50 appearances for Macarthur FC between 2020 to 2023, and in 21 games for Perth Glory during the 2023/24 campaign, he was cautioned eight times and shown one red.

The Australian joined the Jets at the start of last season and averaged a yellow every four games (four in 16).

Susnjar committed two fouls in last week's F3 Derby without going into the book, but the 30-year-old was issued a yellow in all four of his Australia Cup appearances this year as his side lifted the trophy for the first time in their history.

On Friday, Susnjar could be man-marking Victory striker Nikos Vergos, who won two free-kicks in last Saturday's 0-0 stalemate with Auckland.

Offers

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