Round 19 of the Isuzu UTE A-League season kicks off on Friday night – and with the start of a new round comes fresh possibilities for you and your Official A-Leagues Fantasy team!
Consider these five fantasy options heading into Round 19, thanks to neds.
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Noah Botic – Western United
- Price: $287k
- Ownership: 0.3%
- Average points: 4.4
Noah Botic haș bagged three goals in as many appearances for Western United – and his fantasy value has skyrocketed as a result. But, having started with a base price of $150K, his current $287K price tag is a very affordable one if you’re looking for a striker with low ownership (in less than 1% of teams) and in red-hot form.
Botic haș made five starts this season, including three in a row leading into Round 18. Aleksandar Prijovic returns from injury this weekend, but Western head coach John Aloisi has had prior success starting the two strikers alongside each other.
Aloisi spoke about Botic’s rising stocks in midweek: “He’s not the type that will get carried away. He still works the same, works hard.
“It’s up to me to make sure that the added pressure from the outside and the added hype doesn’t affect him.
“He’s started five games this season and there’s still a lot of learning and improving (to come). He knows that.”
“He’s a really good trainer. No matter what exercise we’re doing, he does it to the best of his ability,” Aloisi added.
“If that’s the way of him dealing with the hype I don’t know, but I don’t see it affecting him too much. It’s more (about) us not going on about it.”
Marco Tilio – Melbourne City
- Price: $282K
- Ownership: 4%
- Average points: 7.6
Once a rotation risk, it appears Marco Tilio is set for a consistent run in Melbourne City’s starting XI after Mathew Leckie succumbed to a hamstring injury. In his absence, Tilio stepped forward to produce a masterful Round 18 performance which featured an assist for Jamie Maclaren, and a goal of his own – one of the strikes of the season, no less.
Romain Amalfitano – Western Sydney Wanderers
- Price: $255k
- Ownership: 6%
- Average points: 6.3
Romain Amalfitano is sliding under the radar as one of the signings of the season. And now, after producing a season-best 18-point haul in Round 18, the Frenchman appears perfectly poised to carry forward his improved fantasy form shifting from midfield to become part of Western Sydney Wanderers’ attacking unit.
Amalfitano looks to have found a home on the left side of the Wanderers’ attack, albeit his role is slightly less advanced than what Amor Layouni will be asked to perform down the right. In last weekend’s 4-0 win over Macarthur, however, Amalfitano showed the ability to get forward and make his mark, finding himself in acres of space in the box to finish off a beautiful team move from the red and black.
Florin Berenguer – Melbourne City
- Price: $444K
- Ownership: 3%
- Average points: 8.1
Prepare for Florin Berenguer to take flight through the backend of the 2022-23 A-League Men season. The Frenchman looks to have overcome a hamstring injury which kept him sidelined through the first 10 rounds of the season, and has strung together consecutive starts after coming off the bench for six games in succession as he eased his way back into action.
Berenguer has a three-game scoring average of 11.3; owned by just 3% of managers, Berenguer could prove to be your fantasy squad’s point of difference through the last eight rounds of the season.
Joe Lolley – Sydney FC
- Price: $364K
- Ownership: 12%
- Average points: 8.9
A recent drop in value means it could be the perfect opportunity to bring a cut-price Joe Lolley into your squad for Round 19.
The Sydney FC star’s price has fallen by almost $40K in the past two weeks, thanks to a -1 recorded in Round 17 in a 1-1 draw with Brisbane Roar. He backed that up with a 10-point haul in last weekend’s 3-2 defeat to Melbourne City, scoring above his season average of 8.9 for the fourth time in six games.
Lolley has logged 28 shots from outside the box – including nine on target – this A-League Men season, four more than any other player in the competition. This weekend he and the Sky Blues take on Melbourne Victory; Lolley has scored 17 points across two games against Victory this season.
