Sydney vs Brisbane Roar Prediction: 5/1 Lolley to come up trumps again

The now-defunct New Zealand Knights hold the record for the fewest points won in an Australia A-League Men's season, picking up just six points from 21 games in 2005/06. Brisbane Roar will play 26 matches this season but after claiming just two points from their first 12, the two-time Premiership champions are on course to record the lowest-ever points tally. Next up for Ruben Zadkovich's side is a trip to Allianz Stadium on Saturday (06:00, TNT Sports 1) to take on high-flying Sydney FC who are unbeaten in their last six games.

Below is my Sydney vs Brisbane Roar prediction, complete with all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Off-season marquee signing Douglas Costa has been out of action since suffering a hamstring injury in Sydney's 3-0 win over Melbourne Victory on December 28, missing his side's last four matches, and that absence will extend to a fifth on Saturday. However, Sky Blues head coach Ufuk Talay recently told reporters that the Brazilian winger was in a "good space" amid suggestions that he could return much quicker than the initial six-to-eight-week layoff that was predicted.

Meanwhile, German midfielder Anas Ouahim, who was named in the extended squad for Wednesday's goalless draw with Wellington Phoenix at Sky Stadium before disappearing off the list on matchday due to a small injury concern, is back in the reckoning this weekend.

On-loan Gwangju defender Alexandar Popovic who, like Costa, has been absent for the last four games, is available again following a minor groin injury.

Football Odds

The big Brisbane Roar news is that sought-after 19-year-old striker Thomas Waddingham has been left out of their squad for a second successive match. The Australia U23 international, who has scored a third (four) of their 12-goal league tally this season, is reportedly on the verge of a move to English side Portsmouth in the EFL Championship and looks likely to have played his last game for the Roar.

Fellow teenager Quinn MacNicol, a second-half substitute in last Saturday's 1-0 loss at Melbourne City, has dropped out of Zadkovich's squad, although there has been no mention of an injury to the midfielder.

Defender Ben Warland, who suffered a knee injury in his side's 1-0 defeat to Perth Glory on December 21, is still sidelined, but Corey Brown and Waleed Shour are both back after missing out last weekend.

The visitors are also hoping to have Henry Hore, who spent the first half of the season on loan at K League 1 side Gangwon FC in South Korea, in their squad, although his involvement is still subject to international clearance.

Sydney vs Brisbane Roar Odds

Sydney have won their last three games at Allianz Stadium and are 1/3 to chalk up a fourth-straight success on home soil this weekend. Those odds imply a win probability of 75 per cent while Brisbane Roar (11/2) are given a 15.4 per cent chance.

The sides faced off once in 2024, playing out a 1-1 draw in the Emerald City last March, and it's 4/1 for another stalemate between the two on Saturday. You can also back both teams to score again at 4/7.

Joe Lolley, who currently leads the way in the Golden Boot charts with eight goals from 11 games, is 9/10 joint-favourite in the anytime goalscorer market alongside Patryk Klimala, who trails his teammate by three strikes in the league. Rafael Struick, who has scored just once for the Roar since his off-season arrival from Dutch side Den Haag, leads the way for the visitors at 11/4.

Handicap +2 - Sydney -2 @ 23/10

Sydney have won three of their last five games and all three of those victories have seen the Sky Blues win by three goals. There was the 3-0 triumph over Melbourne Victory on December 28, the 3-0 win against Perth Glory on January 8, and, most recently, the 4-1 thrashing of Central Coast Mariners last Saturday.

Sydney overcame a -2 handicap in all three victories and they could be on for another big win this weekend against a Roar outfit that has lost 10 of its opening 12 games. Surprisingly, they've only lost one game by more than three goals, suffering a 4-1 defeat at home to Melbourne City on December 6.

Four of Brisbane's last five games have ended in a 1-0 loss but on Saturday Zadkovich's side come up against, at the time of writing, the division's highest scorers, with Sydney plundering 29 goals in 13 matches at an average of 2.2 per game. The Sky Blues couldn't buy a clean sheet at the start of the season but now have three in their last five contests and have struck at least three goals in 53.8 per cent of their league games including six of their last nine.

Sydney only edged past the Roar 3-2 at Suncorp Stadium on November 1 but the hosts' first goal that day was scored by the England-bound Waddingham and the Sky Blues are now on a great run of form that they weren't able to build up at that early stage of the season.

I can see Talay's team scoring three or four on Saturday and with Brisbane netting just once across their last five matches, blanking four times including in their last two contests, 23/10 on the -2 handicap for Sydney looks a nice price.

Player to Score Two or More Goals - Joe Lolley (SYD) @ 5/1

Sydney star Lolley surged to the top of the scoring charts on January 8, hitting a hat-trick in his side's 3-0 win over Perth Glory. I backed the 32-year-old to bag a brace in my Sydney v Perth Glory preview and that he did, managing the feat in the first 70 minutes before putting further gloss on the scoreline and his performance by adding a third in the 88th minute.

Lolley has been unable to add to his tally in the past week, blanking in both games against the Mariners and the Nix, but that only serves to strengthen my belief that he can net twice on Saturday as I think he will be desperate to get back in the goals, especially against a Roar side that has conceded 27 times in their first 12 matches.

The former Nottingham Forest winger has two braces to his name this season and he struck twice in one game against the Roar in April 2023 as the Sky Blues won 2-0 in Brisbane. He has four strikes against the Roar in seven career appearances and I think he can significantly swell those numbers on Saturday by notching twice against a hapless Brisbane team.

Offers

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