Auckland FC vs Melbourne City FC, A League 2024-25 REGULAR SEASON
Overview
Match Preview
Auckland FC vs Melbourne City FC — A League at Mt Smart Stadium.
- Auckland FC 26 games · 42 pts (2025/26)
- Melbourne City FC 26 games · 38 pts (2025/26)
Match Details
- Referee Ben Abraham
- Referee Kris Griffiths-Jones (Australia)
23 games this season
🟨 0.4/game
⚽ 3.7 goals/game
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newcastle United Jets FC | 26 | 48 |
| 2 | Adelaide United FC | 26 | 43 |
| 3 | Auckland FC | 26 | 42 |
| 4 | Melbourne Victory FC | 26 | 40 |
| 5 | Sydney FC | 26 | 39 |
| 6 | Melbourne City FC | 26 | 38 |
| 7 | Macarthur FC | 26 | 34 |
| 8 | Wellington Phoenix FC | 26 | 33 |
| 9 | Central Coast Mariners FC | 26 | 32 |
| 10 | Perth Glory FC | 26 | 31 |
| 11 | Brisbane Roar FC | 26 | 26 |
| 12 | Western Sydney Wanderers FC | 26 | 21 |
Head-to-Head
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jan | Melbourne City FC | H | 3–0 | W |
| 11 Jan | Perth Glory FC | A | 0–1 | L |
| 01 Jan | Melbourne Victory FC | H | 0–0 | D |
| 28 Dec | Central Coast Mariners FC | A | 4–1 | W |
| 21 Dec | Western United FC | H | 0–4 | L |
| 15 Dec | Melbourne City FC | A | 2–2 | D |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jan | Auckland FC | A | 0–3 | L |
| 11 Jan | Brisbane Roar FC | H | 1–0 | W |
| 07 Jan | Western United FC | H | 2–0 | W |
| 03 Jan | Wellington Phoenix FC | H | 2–0 | W |
| 31 Dec | Central Coast Mariners FC | A | 1–1 | D |
| 21 Dec | Melbourne Victory FC | A | 1–1 | D |
Season Stats
| Auckland FC | Melbourne City FC | |
|---|---|---|
| #3 | Position | #6 |
| 42 | Points | 38 |
| 26 | Played | 26 |
| 11 / 9 / 6 | W / D / L | 10 / 8 / 8 |
| 42 | Scored | 33 |
| 29 | Conceded | 33 |
| +13 | GD | +0 |
| 1.62 | PPG | 1.46 |
| 42% | Win % | 38% |
Key Stats
50%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (4 games)
H2H (4 games)
100%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
31%
Clean Sheets
Auckland FC this season
Auckland FC this season
38%
Clean Sheets
Melbourne City FC this season
Melbourne City FC this season
Auckland FC are 3rd (42 pts). Melbourne City FC are 6th (38 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Auckland FC
0-15
–/–
16-30
1/3
31-45
2/–
46-60
3/2
61-75
1/1
76+
3/1
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Melbourne City FC
0-15
–/–
16-30
4/–
31-45
1/1
46-60
1/–
61-75
3/–
76+
2/4
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Top Scorers (This Season)
Auckland FC
| Sam Cosgrove | 12 G | 4 A |
| Jesse Randall | 9 G | 8 A |
| Lachlan Brook | 9 G | 2 A |
| Guillermo May Bartesaghi | 6 G | 4 A |
Melbourne City FC
| Max Caputo | 8 G | 1 A |
| Marcus Younis | 7 G | 3 A |
| Medin Memeti | 5 G | 1 A |
Events
Match Events
- 0' The referee blows the starting whistle. The fans are roaring. The teams are ready for the match. Auckland FC is hosting Melbourne City FC for another epic battle.
- 5' Melbourne City FC fans have not had much to celebrate tonight. Their side is struggling to get forward.
- 10' The tempo has dropped considerably in the last few minutes. Aurelio Vidmar will be considering his options from the bench.
- 12' Max Mata catches the referee's attention in entirely the wrong way. card on 12.
- 17' The travelling Melbourne City FC supporters hardly appreciate their team being pressed down to the backline.
- 22' Louis Verstraete has been relatively quiet despite scoring 7 goals in his last 104 appearances.
- 27' Melbourne City FC seems to be on a short break. The game is mainly concentrated in the center. It’s high time they got back to action. Otherwise, it looks like a goalless game.
- 32' Brilliant from the ! Guillermo May Bartesaghi makes it 1-0 with a superb finish on 32.
- 37' Auckland FC are deployed in a today, looking to exploit space against Melbourne City FC's shape.
- 41' What a moment for Nando Pijnaker! That strike on 41 puts his side firmly in control.
- 46' Auckland FC is defending very well tonight not leaving a chance for their rivals to get through for a goal.
- 48' GOAL! Max Mata fires home to make it 3-0!
- 51' The referee reaches into his pocket. Out comes the card for Jesse Randall.
- 56' A tactical chess match is unfolding here. The question is which manager blinks first.
- 58' William Gillion is replacing Jesse Randall for the Auckland FC side.
- 62' Melbourne City FC manager makes another effort to make the tables turned. Lawrence Wong is hanging Zane Schreiber on the field on 62 minute.
- 67' Australia international Harry Politidis has been a key figure this campaign — 0 goals and 0 assists in the Array this season.
- 72' Medin Memeti has been disciplined this evening — perhaps mindful of those 0 cards already picked up this season.
- 74' Auckland FC ring the changes. Luis Gallegos has done his job and it is now time for Cameron Howieson to step up.
- 76' Time for substitution for Melbourne City FC. Callum Talbot is replaced by Mathew Leckie.
- 78' Poor challenge from Cameron Howieson. The referee spots it immediately and shows the card.
- 82' The crowd applauds Nathaniel Atkinson as he leaves the pitch. German Ferreyra steps in for Melbourne City FC.
- 83' Guillermo May Bartesaghi makes way for Marlee Francois at the 83 minute mark. A tactical switch from Auckland FC.
- 88' Callan Elliot has been one of the livelier players on the pitch with 0 goals to his name this season.
- 3-0 the final result. Melbourne City FC will be bitterly disappointed.
Lineups
Auckland FC Lineups
Starting XI
-
6
Louis Verstraete ↓ Luis Toomey 74'
- 5
- 27
- 17
-
9
Max Mata ↓ Neyder Moreno 58'
- 4
- 12
- 10
- 15
- 28
-
21
Jesse Randall ↓ William Gillion 58'
Bench
- 1
-
11
Marlee Francois ↑ 83'
-
25
Neyder Moreno ↑ 58'
-
14
William Gillion ↑ 58'
-
7
Cameron Howieson ↑ 74'
-
8
Luis Toomey ↑ 74'
- 34
Melbourne City FC Lineups
Starting XI
- 16
- 6
- 13
- 27
-
2
Callum Talbot ↓ Mathew Leckie 76'
- 33
- 38
- 26
-
19
Zane Schreiber ↓ Lawrence Wong 62'
- 35
- 46
Bench
-
7
Mathew Leckie ↑ 76'
- 1
- 20
-
22
German Ferreyra ↑ 82'
-
41
Lawrence Wong ↑ 62'
- 47
-
50
Michael Ghossaini ↑ 62'
Coach
Aurelio Vidmar
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Nando Pijnaker | 2 |
| Guillermo May Bartesaghi | 2 |
| Medin Memeti | 1 |
| Neyder Moreno | 1 |
| Max Mata | 1 |
Head to Head
Auckland FC Form
Melbourne City FC Form
2025-01-18
Auckland FC
3–0
Melbourne City FC
L
2025-01-11
Melbourne City FC
1–0
Brisbane Roar FC
W
2025-01-07
Melbourne City FC
2–0
Western United FC
W
2025-01-03
Melbourne City FC
2–0
Wellington Phoenix FC
W
2024-12-31
Central Coast Mariners FC
1–1
Melbourne City FC
D
2024-12-21
Melbourne Victory FC
1–1
Melbourne City FC
D
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
2 / 4
1.85
Auckland FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
0.91
Melbourne City FC xG
I would bet for:
Auckland FC to win 56%
Match Result
✓ CorrectActual: Auckland FC win
Both Teams to Score
✗ Wrong
Avg goals/match: 2.76
Actual: No — clean sheet
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 92% |
|
8% |
| ± 1.5 | 76% |
|
24% |
| ± 2.5 | 51% |
|
49% |
| ± 3.5 | 30% |
|
70% |
| ± 4.5 | 15% |
|
85% |
Double Chance
Auckland FC or Draw
81%
Draw or Melbourne City FC
44%
Auckland FC or Melbourne City FC
75%
Half-Time Result
✗ WrongActual: Auckland FC win at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
11.5%
1 – 0
11%
2 – 0
10.6%
2 – 1
9.5%
0 – 0
8.1%
3 – 0
Actual
3 – 1
5.9%
0 – 1
4.9%
1 – 2
4.6%
2 – 2
4.3%
4 – 0
3%
4 – 1
2.8%
Asian Handicap — Auckland FC
| Handicap | Auckland FC covers | Push | Melbourne City FC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 16% | — | 84% |
| -2 | 16% | 18% | 66% |
| -1.5 | 34% | — | 66% |
| -1 | 34% | 24% | 42% |
| -0.5 | 58% | — | 42% |
| +0.5 | 83% | — | 17% |
| +1 | 83% | 11% | 6% |
| +1.5 | 94% | — | 6% |
| +2 | 94% | 4% | 1% |
| +2.5 | 99% | — | 1% |
Clean Sheet
Auckland FC keeps clean sheet
41%
✗
Melbourne City FC keeps clean sheet
17%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.