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Brisbane Roar will take on champions Melbourne City at the Moreton Daily Stadium in Brisbane on 25th May with the hopes of snatching the second spot before the end of their regular campaign. Meanwhile, newly-crowned champions Melbourne will try to extend their lead at the top of the table and gain an even stronger and commanding position.
With 34 points from 22 matches, Brisbane Roar are currently sixth in the A League table and have been fairly inconsistent this season. They have won nine matches, drawn seven games and lost on six occasions. They’ve also had an erratic run over their last five matches, winning twice, losing twice and drawing the other match.
However, Brisbane do have a game in hand over most of the teams in the league, which still gives them a theoretical chance of finishing second in the standings. The chances of that happening seem improbable at this moment.
Friday’s 1-2 victory over Newcastle Jets has allowed the Roar fans to breathe easier as the fate of sealing a top-six sport is still in the side’s hands. Against Jets, Brisbane managed 60% of the possession and also recorded a whopping 17 shots on goal, with five of them being on target.
Riku Danzaki opened the scoring for them in the 34th minute, while Jay O’Shea’s own goal in the 61st minute helped Newcastle Jets restore parity. O’Shea then redeemed himself with a goal for Roar in the 73rd minute of the match. This was their first victory in four games, and the home side would want to continue with that momentum.
Over the last six matches, Warren Moon’s side have managed to score six goals, with an average of one goal per match. Though they are undefeated in their last six league matches at home, they have failed to beat Melbourne City in their previous four matches in the league. While Roar play three of their final league fixtures at home, the fact that half of those games will be played against the current top two sides in the league could prove to be a matter of concern.
Melbourne have been dominant in the league and have consistently topped the table this season which has helped them to wrap up the trophy with ease. With that being said, they have also been unconvincing on a few occasions this season.
In their last nine games, City have managed to keep just a couple of clean sheets. They arrive into this match against Brisbane after a 1-0 win against Central Coast Mariners in their most recent fixture. That victory helped Melbourne open up a seven-point lead at the top of the table and they do have a game in hand over Sydney FC in second place.
Against Central Coast Mariners, Melbourne City had nine attempts at goal with just one on target. Craig Noone scored the only goal of the game in the 59th minute to help his side register four wins in the last five matches. That was Noone’s first goal in nine matches.
Over their last six matches, Melbourne managed to find the back of the net on 16 occasions. They have also managed to score a goal in every game and their players have been in wonderful form in front of goal.
Key Players
Riku Danzaki has been in the thick of the action in front of goal this season and was also on the scoresheet in the last match. This season the Japanese has played progressively higher than his usual role as number 8 and has formed a great strike-partnership with Wenzel-Halls. The 20-year-old was also on the scoresheet against Jets which took his tally to eight goals in A-League this season, the highest for a Brisbane Roar player.
Corey Brown has been absolutely vital for the side from the left-back position. He makes overlapping runs throughout the game and can influence play in the final third to a large degree. Brown has assisted as many as seven goals this season!
Jamie Maclaren has been nothing short of an absolute beast in front of goal in the A League this season. The Australian centre-forward who had previously represented Hibernian has scored a mind-blowing 25 goals so far! There’s no doubt that Maclaren would be hell-bent on adding more to that tally. He has also set up five goals for his teammates this season.
Englishman Craig Noone found the back of the net in the match against Central Coast Mariners last time around. That took his season’s tally to six goals, the second-highest in the side. Noone has also been influential as a creative force and has assisted eight goals.
Prediction
City have a fantastic head-to-head record against Brisbane and have won 17 times in 34 matches between the two sides. Roar have managed 11 victories. The two sides had met quite recently, with the reverse fixture ending in a 3-2 win for Melbourne City.
City have had an almost flawless month and have registered four wins in five matches, with the other game ending in a draw. It will take a gigantic effort to deny them a win in this match, and Brisbane Roar have suffered from bouts of inconsistency this season. They also lost the reverse fixture earlier this month and all signs point towards yet another Melbourne City victory.
