Perth Glory vs Melbourne City Prediction: HBF Park primed for another thriller

The problems at cash-strapped Perth Glory continue to mount, and things don't get easier for them on the field on Friday (KO, 10:45) as they host Melbourne City at HBF Park in the Australian A-League Men's.

11th-placed Perth have been without a private owner for six months, and according to the club, were forced by Australian Professional Leagues (APL) last week to loan star winger Salim Khelifi out to Melbourne Victory.

Alan Stajic's side have won just three league games all season, with only Western United currently below them in the A-League ladder.

Melbourne City, meanwhile, have turned a corner since the start of December, following a challenging start to the campaign for the 2022-23 premier season champions. They've lost just twice in their last nine league games and beat Adelaide United 1-0 last week to move into the top-six.

Team News

Adam Taggart has been a leading light for Perth this season, with only Bruno Fornaroli (13) and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos (10) outscoring him in the A-League Men's. The eight-goal marksman missed last week's 2-2 draw at Macarthur FC, though, and his club have been tight-lipped over his availability for Friday's fixture.

Former Bolton Wanderers defender Mark Beevers has missed the Glory's last four games but is hoping to return this week, while the Western Australia side could hand a second debut to academy graduate Josh Rawlins, who re-joined the club this week on loan from Dutch outfit FC Utrecht.

Melbourne City could hand a debut of their own out, with midfielder James Jeggo signing from Hibernian earlier this week.

They are still missing a key player in attack, though, with Marin Jakolis still injured, and there are doubts over Samuel Souprayen, who hasn't played since January 12.

Aziz Behich, meanwhile, is on international duty with Australia, and has agreed to join Al-Nassr on loan once his participation at the Asian Cup concludes.

Match Odds

Perth are 13/5 to pick up all three points on Friday, with Melbourne City considered strong favourites for the victory at 8/11, and the draw priced at 3/1.

Both teams to score, which landed in both meetings between the pair in 2023, is available at 1/2.

Over 3.5 goals @ 6/5

Perth may sit second-bottom of the A-League Men's ladder but only four sides - Melbourne Victory, Central Coast Mariners, Macarthur FC and Adelaide United (all  27) - have scored more goals than the Glory (25).

Unfortunately for them, only Brisbane Roar (35) have conceded more than their 31.

Seven of Perth's last nine A-League games have had four or more goals, including their last three at HBF Park, while two of the last three meetings between the teams have seen the over 3.5 bet land.

Half-time both teams to score - Yes @ 5/2

Both teams have scored in Glory's last ten A-League games, including their last four at home.

Three of their last five have also seen both teams score before half-time, while three of their last four at HBF Park - including their 2-1 defeat to Melbourne City in December - have seen both sides strike before the interval.

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