Brisbane Roar will invite Sydney to the Suncorp Stadium in the A-League on Friday.
The hosts got their campaign underway with a 1-1 draw against Macarthur last week, with veteran midfielder Jay O'Shea equalizing in the 73rd minute after Raphael Borges Rodrigues opened the scoring in the 53rd minute.
The visitors, meanwhile, were one of the three teams that suffered a defeat in their campaign opener. They conceded twice in the second half in their home meeting against Melbourne Victory, suffering a 2-0 defeat. Interestingly, Melbourne City and reigning champions Central Coast Mariners also suffered defeats last week.
Brisbane and Sydney will meet for the second time this month, after locking horns in the Australia Cup final, which the visitors won 3-1 thanks to Fábio Gomes' second-half brace. Robert Mak was also on the scoresheet while Thomas Waddingham scored for Brisbane.
Brisbane Roar vs Sydney Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have locked horns 64 times in all competitions thus far. The visitors have the upper hand in these meetings with a 23-20 lead in wins and as many as 21 games ending in draws.
- The visitors are unbeaten in their last three meetings against the hosts and recorded a 2-0 away win in their league meeting last season.
- Sydney are winless in their last three games in the A-League, scoring just once and conceding seven times in that period.
- Brisbane Roar have suffered just one defeat in their last four home games in the A-League, with that defeat coming against the visitors in April.
- Interestingly, the visitors have scored in their last nine away league meetings against the hosts, who have failed to score in three games in that period.
Brisbane Roar vs Sydney Prediction
The Roar are winless in their three meetings against the visitors in 2023, suffering two defeats. They suffered just one defeat in their four meetings against the visitors in 2022, recording two 3-1 home wins. There are no absentees for them heading into their first home game of the season.
The Sky Blues were a bit disappointing in their campaign opener and despite dominating possession against Melbourne Victory, failed to find the back of the net in the first Big Blue derby of the season.
Defenders Joel King and Jack Rodwell continue to be sidelined through injuries for Steve Corica, who'll hope that his team open their goalscoring account for the season in this match.
The hosts will look to avenge their loss in the Australia Cup final in this match but have a winless record against them in 2023. Both teams have endured a slow start to their season and, considering their recent history, a low-scoring draw might ensue.
Prediction: Brisbane Roar 1-1 Sydney
Brisbane Roar vs Sydney Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Draw
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Joe Lolley to score or assist any time - Yes