Brisbane Roar vs Newcastle Jets Prediction: Plenty of strikes on show at Suncorp

Two sides struggling in the Australian A-League Men's face off at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Tuesday (09:00, TNT Sports 1) as bottom-club Brisbane Roar host 11th-placed Newcastle Jets. The visitors are only two spots above their next opponents but have a five-point cushion as well as a game in hand, so a victory for the Jets in midweek would leave the Roar lagging well behind.

Read on for my Brisbane Roar vs Newcastle Jets prediction, alongside all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Brisbane Roar defender Hosine Bility was sent off for two bookable offences in his side's 3-1 home defeat to Central Coast Mariners last Friday and will serve a one-game suspension in midweek. With fellow central defender Ben Warland still sidelined with a knee injury and the departure of right-back Harry Van der Saag confirmed on Monday, under-pressure head coach Ruben Zadkovich will likely have to draft two of Scott Neville, Louis Zabala and Corey Brown into his starting XI.

Bility and Van der Saag have been replaced in the squad by Neicer Acosta and Sam Klein.

Football Odds

Newcastle Jets are without seven players including Aleksandar Susnjar, Dane Ingham, Jacob Dowse and Oscar Fryer, but boss Rob Stanton's options are boosted by the returns of Lachlan Rose and Matthew Scarcella.

Brisbane Roar vs Newcastle Jets Odds

Brisbane Roar remain the only ALM team without a win this season having picked up just two points from their first 10 games; Zadkovich's side are 5/4, or a 44.4% chance, to claim their first success of the campaign on Tuesday, while Newcastle Jets are 7/4 (36.4%) to triumph for the third time this term.

There hasn't been a league draw between these two clubs since February 2021 but you can back a long-awaited stalemate at 12/5.

Thomas Waddingham is Brisbane Roar's leading scorer with four goals this season and the 19-year-old, heavily linked with a move to Europe, is 7/5 favourite in the anytime goalscorer market with Newcastle Jets' 22-year-old forward Ben Gibson next up at 9/5.

Total Goals - Over 3.5 @ 11/8

The notion of a cagey contest just doesn't make sense to me here, despite both teams' struggles. It's a weekly remark but the Roar simply have to win and thus if they go behind at any point in the match, or the scores are level in the final third of the game, I would expect the hosts to go all out for the win and that will pile the pressure on the Jets defence as well as leave them exposed at the back for a potential counter-attack.

Like their hosts, the Jets will be targeting all three points on Tuesday as they look to climb away from the Roar and Perth Glory and move closer to the likes of Wellington Phoenix and Central Coast Mariners. Stanton's side lost five of their first six matches but have only suffered one defeat in their last three, thrashing the Glory 4-0 at HBF Park and drawing 2-2 with Sydney at home either side of a 2-1 reverse to the Nix in Wellington.

Tuesday's visitors to Suncorp Stadium have only seen over 3.5 goals land in 33 per cent (three) of their opening nine games but two of those have come in their last three while the Roar, perhaps unsurprisingly given their wretched defensive record, are behind only Western Sydney Wanders (73 per cent) in the over 3.5 goals table, with 60 per cent (six) of their 10 matches, including their last one, finishing with at least four strikes.

The last head-to-head between these two teams ended in a 2-0 win for the Jets in Brisbane but four of the previous five meetings - including a 3-2 extra-time success in the Australia Cup for the Roar - saw over 3.5 goals and I think we could be in for another high-scoring contest this week.

Match Result & Both Teams to Score - Newcastle Jets & Yes @ 100/30

One of the very few positives for the Roar this season is that they are not struggling for goals in the same way as the Glory who have scored five fewer despite playing one game more. The Roar have struck 12 times in 10 games which is the same record as the Nix while both the Mariners and the Jets have scored one fewer, albeit the latter have played one game less.

Brisbane have scored in 60 per cent (six) of their ALM contests this term and 75 per cent (three) of their games at Suncorp, only failing to breach the Glory's defence in a 1-0 defeat on December 21. Zadkovich's side also scored twice against Adelaide United in a 3-2 defeat to the Reds on neutral territory at Allianz Stadium in Sydney as part of the ALM's 'Unite Round'. The problem for the Roar has been that, in every game they have scored, so have the opposition - usually more than once.

The Jets have been far from prolific scorers this season but they have now scored in their last three matches, netting seven times across that run, with both teams scoring in their most recent two. BTTS - Yes has been a winner in 56 per cent (five) of their nine ALM contests and the first of those saw Stanton's side beat Macarthur 2-1 at Campbelltown Stadium.

With the likes of Waddingham, Jay O'Shea and last Friday's goalscorer, Ben Halloran, in the team, I'm confident the Roar can strike at least once on Tuesday. Unfortunately for them, I see the Jets netting at least twice with the hosts' defence in disarray following the exit of Van der Saag and the unavailability of both Bility and Warland, necessitating a couple of changes at the back which the visitors could prey on.

Offers

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.