Melbourne City will be hoping to repeat their 4-0 victory over Newcastle Jets from last month when the two sides clash in A-League Round 15 action on Saturday night.

City vs Jets kicks off at 7.30pm AEDT at AAMI Park. The game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports in Australia.

Prediction

Match Preview

City can’t afford to drop any more points if they harbour ambitions of chasing down Sydney FC for the minor premiership.

After drawing 2-2 with Brisbane last week, City fell 13 points behind the reigning premiers in second spot – and while it’s unlikely the Sky Blues will slip up by that much, Erick Mombaerts’ side know these are the types of games they need to be winning convincingly.

Although they are sitting pretty in second place, it’s been another inconsistent season for City – take for example their blistering 4-0 win over Newcastle in December, which was described as the finest performance of any team this season.

City followed that up with a pair of defeats to Victory and Sydney, highlighting the fact they still have a long way to go before being counted among the true powerhouse clubs of the A-League.

Meanwhile, the Jets dished up a resurgent display against Sydney last week after sacking coach Ernie Merrick, going down narrowly by a 2-1 scoreline.

Newcastle appeared re-energised and ready to play for the jersey again, which was something that was clearly lacking in Merrick’s last few games in charge.

However, the fact remains that Newcastle still struggle to score goals and have the leakiest defence in the competition. They will battle hard again, but City should prove too strong.

Match Odds

Melbourne City – $1.59
Newcastle Jets – $4.80
Draw – $4.20

MORE MATCH ODDS FROM BETEASY

Stats

– City have won six of their last nine meetings against Newcastle
– City have averaged nearly 2.5 goals a game in that period
– Jets are winless in their last six matches

Tips