Brisbane Roar vs Western Sydney Wanderers Prediction: Fraser to fire again

Brisbane Roar’s winless run in the Australian A-League Men’s extended to six games with a 1-1 draw at home to Perth Glory on February 28. After no fixture last week, Michael Valkanis’ men remain at Suncorp Stadium this Friday (08:00 GMT, TNT Sports 2) for their next contest against bottom-of-the-table Western Sydney Wanderers, who fell to a 2-1 defeat at leaders Newcastle Jets last Saturday.

Below are my Brisbane Roar vs Western Sydney Wanderers predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds.

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Team News

Due to an accumulation of five yellow cards, Brisbane Roar forward Justin Vidic is suspended for Friday's fixture.

Henry Hore is back in Valkanis' extended squad after returning from injury, but Nathan Amanatidis (muscle), Enmet Shaw (back), Milorad Stajic (hamstring) and Nicholas D'Agostino (knee) are all sidelined.

Football Odds

Western Sydney Wanderers have their own suspended player, Dylan Scicluna, who collected his fifth yellow card of the campaign in last Saturday's 2-1 loss at Newcastle Jets.

Otherwise, Gary van Egmond has a full complement available to him.

Brisbane Roar vs Western Sydney Wanderers Odds

Brisbane Roar are 9/5, or a 35.7% chance, to claim all three points on Friday, with Western Sydney Wanderers 5/4 to claim victory, implying a 44.4% probability of success, while the draw is offered at 23/10.

Match Result - Western Sydney Wanderers @ 5/4

Since Alen Stajcic was sacked as Western Sydney Wanderers boss on January 20, the club has won twice, drawn twice, and lost three times. It’s hardly inspiring stuff, but eight points is double the amount Stajcic picked up in his final seven games in charge (W1, D1, L5).

The Wanderers have lost two of their last three matches, but the first defeat was a 3-2 reverse at in-form Central Coast Mariners on February 22, when they were downed by an 89th-minute James Donachie winner, and last Saturday, ALM leaders Newcastle Jets, who are unbeaten this calendar year, required a 77th-minute strike from Mark Natta to triumph 2-1 on home soil.

Between those defeats, the Wanderers thrashed Macarthur 4-0 at Campbelltown Stadium, and they’ve scored at least twice in three of their last four games.

Today's Football Fixtures

The Roar, meanwhile, are winless in their last six matches, picking up just two points, and they’ve lost four of their last five (D1) at home, last tasting success at Suncorp on November 28 against Melbourne Victory (1-0).

Brisbane haven’t beaten the Wanderers in the last three attempts, drawing 2-2 and 0-0 at CommBank Stadium either side of a 1-0 loss at home in January 2025.

Price Boosts - Western Sydney Wanderers to Win, 3+ Goals & Ryan Fraser to Score @ 5/1 6/1

I've already made my case for the first of these three legs, so let's start here with the second, 3+ goals.

Brisbane's last three games have gone under 2.5 goals, but their four previous matches all finished with at least three strikes.

The Wanderers, meanwhile, have seen five of their last six, including their last four, go over 2.5 goals.

So, I'm predicting at least three goals on Friday, and I'm backing one of them to be scored by the Wanderers' big mid-season signing, Ryan Fraser, who has made quite the impact Down Under since joining on loan from Southampton.

The 32-year-old came off the bench to score the winner on his ALM debut against Perth Glory on January 25, and he's since struck three times in six starts, taking his tally to four goals in seven games.

Fraser looks a good bet to bag again on Friday.

Nick Ware P/L 25/26 ALM Season (After GW20)

 P/L: +2.8%