Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sydney FC Prediction: Cards to fly in heated derby

| March 01 |

2 mins read

One of the highlight fixtures of the Australian A-League Men's season takes place at the CommBank Stadium on Saturday (KO, 08:45), as Western Sydney Wanderers take on Sydney FC.

Below we have previewed the clash between the top-six sides and offered our predictions on how this game will unravel.

Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sydney FC Betting Tips:

Western Sydney Wanderers or draw and both teams to score - Yes @ 11/10
Over 42.5 booking points @ 6/5

Team News

Top scorer Marcus Antonsson is still injured for WSW, who have midfielder Tom Beadling and goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas back from suspension and injury respectively.

Luke Brattan is unavailable for Sydney FC after picking up his fifth yellow card of the campaign last weekend, but former Everton, Manchester City and Sunderland man Jack Rodwell is back in the squad after his recent injury absence.

Aaron Gurd, Pat Wood and Joe Lacey all remain sidelined.

Match Odds

The Wanderers are 7/5, or a 41.7% chance, to win the Sydney derby, while the visitors can be backed at 6/4 to take the three points. The draw is available at 5/2 and over 3.5 goals is backable at 5/4.

Western Sydney Wanderers or draw and both teams to score - Yes @ 11/10

WSW returned to winning ways last time out against Adelaide United as they broke free from their three-game winless spell. The result should inspire some confidence into the side ahead of Saturday's showdown with a team that is on a six-match unbeaten run.

Despite that good form, the Sky Blues have only managed one victory from their last four away trips.

I see the Wanderers at least getting a point from this one, and there could be some goals on show as well. Both teams have scored in each of Sydney FC's last five outings, and three of WSW's last four.

Over 42.5 booking points @ 6/5

My colleague Neil Monnery drew up this handy guide to booking points in football, which details that a booking is worth ten points at Betfred. A red card is worth 25 points, but if a referee books a player and later sends him off, even if it is for two yellow cards offences, it will total 35 booking points for the purposes of the bet (one yellow + one red card).

With that in mind, I like the look of the over 42.5 market on Saturday. Five yellows could do the trick, or two yellows and one red, as was the case in the February 2023 clash between the pair at the CommBank Stadium.

Before last November's game, the over 42.5 booking points selection had landed in five straight Sydney derbies between the pair. It's one of the most hotly-contested games in the A-League, and with just a point separating both sides in the division, expect fireworks on Saturday.