A-League Semi-Finals Tips & Preview - Best bets for two-leg semi-finals

A-League expert Andrew Hendrie gives his best bets for the two semi-finals below.

Western United's surprise season continues into a semi-final showdown with rivals Melbourne City after John Aloisi's side edged out Adelaide United 3-2 in last week's elimination final. Noah Botic was the hero, with the young striker securing his first professional hat-trick, joining the likes of Archie Thompson (2007), Jason Cummings (2023), Romeo Castelen (2016) and Shane Smeltz (2012) as the only players to have scored three goals in an A-League finals match. Meanwhile, City had the week off after finishing in second spot during the regular season and are seeking a return to the Grand Final after making the showpiece in 2021, 2022 and 2023. City's greater experience and dominant H2H record (they've won seven of their last eight meetings with Western) means they are good value for the win.

Minor premiers Auckland are back after a week off, with Melbourne Victory standing between them and a place in the Grand Final in their debut A-League season. Auckland were the most consistent team throughout the regular season, with Steve Corica's side losing just three of their 26 games - and one of them was a meaningless clash in the last round. Victory meanwhile experienced a roller-coaster campaign, but they could be timing their run perfectly after snapping the Wanderers' 12-game unbeaten streak in the elimination finals. Daniel Arzani produced his best performance for the season, setting up both of Victory's goals in the 2-1 triumph. The stars could be aligning for a Melbourne derby for this season's GF, so backing Victory to at least gain the upper hand by winning this first leg at home.