Brisbane Roar vs Wellington Phoenix Prediction: Abubakar to open the scoring at Suncorp

Brisbane Roar have endured a dismal 2024/25 season under the stewardship of Ruben Zadkovich, but his side have shown signs of life over the last couple of games, beating an in-form Western United 2-1 to claim a first campaign victory at Suncorp Stadium before holding Adelaide United to a 1-1 draw there on Tuesday.

The Roar play a third successive home game on Saturday (06:00, TNT Sports 3), and this time, Wellington Phoenix, who have lost back-to-back games 3-2, provide the opposition. Below are my Brisbane Roar vs Wellington Phoenix predictions, complete with all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Zadkovich has named an unchanged squad for Saturday’s clash against Wellington Phoenix at Suncorp Stadium.

Henry Hore made his return from a groin injury against Adelaide on Tuesday and is in the mix for further minutes this weekend.

Goalkeeper Matt Acton, who has started Roar’s last eight games, is in line to make his 50th ALM appearance on Saturday.

Football Odds

Ben Warland (knee) and Corey Brown (unspecified) remain in Roar's treatment room.

Wellington Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano put pen to paper on a new contract earlier this week, and 'Chiefy' will hope to celebrate fresh terms with a win on Saturday.

He'll have to make do without Francisco 'Chico' Geraldes, Stefan Colakovski (both knee) and Alby Kelly-Heald (shoulder) again through injury, but his options are boosted by the return of midfielder Paulo Retre.

Luke Brooke-Smith, Kazuki Nagasawa and Nathan Walker are among those eyeing promotions from the bench.

Brisbane Roar vs Wellington Phoenix Odds

Brisbane have lost 15 of their 24 ALM games this season but look to be on the up, and they've been installed as 9/10 favourites on Saturday, implying a 52.6% probability. Wellington, who have won two of the last three head-to-heads at Suncorp, are 5/2, or a 28.6% chance, to claim all three points this weekend.

The sides played out a 1-1 draw at Sky Stadium in February's reverse fixture, and another stalemate between them can be backed at 5/2, while both teams to score again is priced at 4/7.

First Goalscorer - Asumah Abubakar (BRI) @ 9/2

Mid-season arrival Asumah Abubakar took a little while to get going for the Roar, failing to score in his first three appearances, but he got off the mark in a 3-1 win at Perth Glory on March 15 and now has four goals in his last six games.

The Kumasi-born attacker has reinvigorated an ailing Brisbane attack and made himself a focal point for Zadkovich's side, holding the ball up, running the channels, and winning free-kicks, in addition to scoring with regularity.

Abubakar has been first on the scoresheet twice since joining from Swiss side Grasshoppers, grabbing the game's opening goal against Macarthur FC and Melbourne City.

At 7/5, he's a standout candidate in the anytime goalscorer market, but for more value, he's an interesting option to open the scoring.

The Nix have conceded first in their last two matches, and they went behind early on in both games. Against Melbourne Victory, they were breached in the fourth minute by Nishan Velupillay, and against Adelaide United, Panagiotis Kikianis struck in the eighth minute.

First Goal Time (10 Minute Intervals) - 1-10 @ 3/1

As previously mentioned, the Nix have gone a goal down in the first 10 minutes of their last two matches, and they've conceded between the first and 10th minute in each of their last four away trips.

The Roar, meanwhile, conceded just after that mark against Adelaide on Tuesday, with Dylan Pierias putting the Reds ahead in the 11th minute, but in Brisbane's previous home game against Western United, Samuel Klein scored in the second minute, six days after Abubakar fired them in front against Melbourne City in the ninth minute.

A goal has been scored in the first 10 minutes in four of the Roar's last six games, so 3/1 for another fast start on Saturday may appeal.

Offers

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