Melbourne City vs Auckland FC Prediction

The A-League’s headline game on Sunday sees fourth placed Melbourne City take on current table toppers Auckland FC, as some of Australia and New Zealand’s finest go head to head.

Key Statistics

• Melbourne are looking to regain the league title, as they finished sixth last season after winning it in the three previous campaigns
• This is their first ever meeting with Auckland
• Auckland lead the clean sheet standings in the league, making five shutouts so far
• Auckland have a historic 100% record in the A-League, with this being their debut season

Team Previews, Form & Standout Players

Home side Melbourne have shown superb away form, winning on all four occasions they have travelled, but are yet to win at home in the league this season, suffering two defeats against Western Sydney and rivals Melbourne Victory.

Meanwhile, Auckland have a 100% record to protect, having won six out of six to put their name well and truly in the title discussion. Conceding just one goal during this period, Melbourne will struggle to breach their defence regularly.

As a titanic A-League clash approaches, here is everything you need to know about both sides ahead of kick-off.

Melbourne City Preview

Predicted Lineup: Patrick Beach (GK); Aziz Behich, Samuel Souprayen, Kai Trewin, Nathaniel Atkinson; Steven Peter Ugarkovic, Andreas Kuen, James Jeggo; Yonatan Cohen, Arion Sulemani, Harry Politidis

Looking to regain the title they had such a solid grip on at the turn of the decade, Melbourne have made a solid but unspectacular start to the 2024/25 season. Winning 100% of their away games is no mean feat, but it means nothing if these results can’t be backed up at home.

Making away results count means winning at home to make the three points picked up on the road appear even more important, and their game against Auckland is a good opportunity to finally follow through.

However, with their opponents conceding just one goal in the league so far, they will be restricted in the number of clear cut chances they create, and with Auckland scoring freely at the other end, Melbourne need to be on top of their game to open their home account for the season.

Auckland FC Preview

Predicted Lineup: Alex Paulsen (GK); Francis De Vries, Nando Pijnaker, Daniel Hall, Hiroki Sakai; Liam Gillion, Luis Gallegos, Louis Verstraete, Logan Rogerson; Jake Brimmer, Guillermo May

For a team competing in their first ever competitive season, Auckland FC will be elated with how things have gone so far. Only founded in March of this year, they agreed with A-League representatives to be introduced straight into the A-League, Australia and New Zealand’s top flight, which meant that the number of teams increased from 12 to 13.

Winning six on the bounce, Auckland are likely the only team in the world that can boast the fact that they have never lost a match in their history, a brag they will be motivated to maintain when former A-League juggernauts Melbourne play hosts.

Despite not scoring more than two goals in a game this season, their one conceded has seen them rise to the top of the table, and with such a formidable defensive record, you would fancy them to stay there should they beat Melbourne this weekend.

Melbourne City vs Auckland FC Head to Head

As they were founded earlier this year, Auckland have very few head to heads to speak of in their history. As a result, this will be the first time the two sides have ever played each other, and it promises to be a fascinating and title influencing battle.

Melbourne City vs Auckland FC Betting Tip

While Melbourne are looking closer to their former glorious selves, they still have a few crinkles to iron out. Meanwhile, the morale surrounding the start to Auckland's professional stint will be sky high, and we can see them pulling off a shock on Sunday.

That is why we are backing Auckland City to take all three points back to New Zealand.

Melbourne City vs Auckland FC Final Prediction

Melbourne 0-1 Auckland

Auckland’s defensive form has been outstanding this season, and should it continue here, it’s hard to see past a one-goal win for the Kiwi side.