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Right then, let's have a proper look at this A-League clash between Sydney and Macarthur. Sydney are sitting pretty in 2nd place with 6 points from their opening three games, while Macarthur are lurking in 5th with 4 points. Both sides have been scoring for fun this season - both averaging 1.7 goals per game over their last 10 matches.
Sydney's recent form has been decent enough, hasn't it? They smashed Newcastle Jets 4-1 on their travels, backed that up with a tidy 2-0 home win against Central Coast Mariners, and only slipped up with a 2-1 loss away to Adelaide United. At home, they've been proper decent - winning 75% of their recent home games and averaging 2 goals per game on their own patch.
Macarthur have been grinding out results too. They just beat Công An Nhân Dân 2-1 in the AFC Cup, drew 1-1 with Western Sydney Wanderers, and got a 2-1 win over Adelaide United. Their away form's been a bit hit and miss though - only winning 33% of their away games, though they do score 1.5 goals per game on the road.
Now here's the interesting bit - the head-to-head record is dead even overall (4 wins each, 1 draw), but Sydney's home record against Macarthur is shocking! Just 1 win in 5 home meetings. That's proper surprising given how strong Sydney have been at home this season.
Both teams like a goal, don't they? Sydney's both teams to score rate is 60%, Macarthur's is 50%. The stats suggest we could see a few goals here, with both sides averaging over 1.5 goals per game recently.
The fatigue factor might be crucial though - Sydney have had 8 days rest while Macarthur have only had 3 days and played 3 matches in the last fortnight compared to Sydney's 1. That could be the difference maker.
Looking at the odds, Sydney at 1.80 seems about right given their league position and home form, despite that dodgy H2H record at home. They're well-rested and playing some decent stuff at the moment.
