2025 Mar 15, 06:35
Melbourne City will face Brisbane Roar in their final A-League match of the year at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on Thursday. The hosts are currently unbeaten in their last four league games, although the past two matches have ended in draws. Last week, they were held to a goalless draw by local rivals Melbourne Victory, marking their first game without scoring in six matches. On the other hand, the visitors have suffered consecutive defeats in their last two league outings, including a 3-0 home loss to the Central Coast Mariners. Ángel Torres of the Mariners stood out with a second-half brace in that match. Heading into this game, Melbourne City sits in seventh place in the league standings, amassing 12 points from nine matches
Meanwhile, Brisbane Roar is positioned fifth in the table, boasting a two-point lead over their hosts. In terms of head-to-head records, Melbourne City has a clear advantage. They have won eight consecutive matches against Brisbane Roar on their home turf and have only lost once in their encounters. They are considered the strong favorites for this upcoming fixture. Melbourne City has been undefeated so far in five games this month and aims to end the year on an unbeaten note. Although they are on a six-game unbeaten run, they have only managed two wins in their last nine matches, both of which were achieved in away games. Injured players such as Mathew Leckie, James Nieuwenhuizen, Andrew Nabbout, Zane Schreiber, and Arion Sulemani are expected to remain sidelined for Melbourne City
As a result, a similar starting XI from last week's match is likely to be fielded. Brisbane Roar recently bid farewell to coach Ross Aloisi, who accepted an offer from Chinese Super League club Shanghai Port as an assistant coach to Kevin Muscat. Luciano Trani will take charge as the interim manager for this match, hoping to guide his team back to winning ways. In their last two defeats, Brisbane Roar has conceded five goals while only managing to score once. Their away record against Melbourne City is also historically poor, with the team failing to score in seven out of their 18 previous away games. Considering Melbourne City's current form and their dominant home record against Brisbane Roar, it is predicted that the hosts will secure a narrow victory with a 2-1 scoreline. In terms of betting tips, it is recommended to place bets on Melbourne City to win the match. In addition, betting on over 2.5 goals, at least one goal being scored in the second half, and Jamie Maclaren to score or assist at any time are suggested options.