Brisbane Roar will play host to Adelaide United on Sunday, June 13, at Dolphin Stadium. It will mark their first meeting in Brisbane since January when the hosts won 3-1, but struggled to repeat their success earlier this month when they lost 0-1 defeat on the road.
Brisbane Roar vs Adelaide United
When: Sunday, June 13 – 15:05 AEST
Where: Dolphin Stadium in Brisbane, Queensland
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 21°C
Brisbane Roar ended the 2020/21 A-League season in fourth with 40 points, one spot ahead of Adelaide United, who finished in fifth, tied with Macarthur FC with 39 points to their name.
By placing inside the top-six, the two sides have earned their ticket for the postseason, however, their playoffs campaign starts in the Elimination Finals stage, or the playoff quarter-finals.
Whoever wins on Sunday will get to play face off against Sydney FC or the Melbourne Victory in the semis.
Brisbane Roar Relying on Superb Home Form
Brisbane Roar ended the season just two points behind Central Coast Mariners in third. The Roar would have finished in third had they won their final match of the season against Sydney FC, who bested them 0-2 at Dolphin Stadium.
Regardless, the final placement shouldn’t concern Brisbane Roar too much since they’re heading into their A-League playoffs opener as the favourites.
There are several reasons for that, starting with Brisbane Roar’s strong home record. Their loss against Sydney FC in the final round of the regular season was only their second home defeat of the year.
Warren Moon’s men also boast a strong head-to-head record against Adelaide United at home, having won this match-up with 3-1 in January.
In that game, Dylan Wenzel-Halls scored twice, while the third goal was Jay O’Shea’s work. These two were among some of the best players on Brisbane Roar during the regular season. Still, their key man was Japanese playmaker Riku Danzaki, who scored nine goals in 25 outings.
Although Brisbane Roar’s attackers were solid this season, their strongest asset was their defence. With just 28 goals conceded, Brisbane Roar ended the season as the second-best defensive team in the league. What’s even more impressive is that they have conceded only 12 goals at home.
Adelaide United Not Doing Great on the Road
Adelaide United played their last game last week when they took a trip to Coopers Stadium to face off against Melbourne Victory. The Reds came away with a 1-0 victory, however, that’s hardly worth celebrating since they were facing one of the worst teams in the league.
Still, winning the game was a breath of fresh air that broke Adelaide streak of poor away results. They have lost three straight away games prior to that win.
Adelaide United have conceded 28 goals across 12 away games this season. Only Melbourne Victory and Western United have leaked more goals on the road this season – 30 apiece.
On the bright side, Adelaide have some amazing players in the team, especially in the frontline. Craig Goodwin has been showing phenomenal form and is Adelaide’s top goalscorer on the season, with eight goals to his name. Tomi Juric and Stefan Mauk scored seven each.
Brisbane Roar vs Adelaide United Betting Picks
Adelaide United have a strong attack, but they’re set to meet with Brisbane Roar’s fantastic backline. Still, the most significant advantage Brisbane Roar will get to enjoy is playing on their home turf.
Even though Adelaide can be a tough opponent to beat when they play to their strengths, the Roar should prove to the better team this time out.
Prediction: Brisbane Roar -0.50 Asian Handicap
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