Melbourne Victory host Brisbane Roar in their first A-League encounter of the new campaign.
The visitors have already played once in the league this season, losing 1-0 to Melbourne City last time out.
Match preview
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Grant Brebner's side have been in competitive action in 2020-21, despite not playing in the league, having reached the last 16 of the AFC Champions League.
Victory lost 3-0 to eventual champions Ulsan Hyundai FC in Qatar, but their two group stage victories will give them confidence heading into their domestic duties.
The AAMI Park outfit finished in a very disappointing 10th position in 2019-20. A string of high-profile signings appears to have transformed their fortunes, though, and big things are expected of Brebner's men this time around.
A title challenge may be a bit of a stretch given their lowly finish last season, but Victory's supporters will certainly be expecting to see their side reach the final series.
Warren Moor's men finished fourth in the previous campaign, reaching the final series before losing to Western United in the knockout round.
Their success in 2020-21 was built on solid foundations. Although they were the second-lowest scorers in the top flight, they also had the second-best defensive record, conceding just 28 goals in 26 league games.
A 1-0 loss to Melbourne City in their opening day fixture was a disappointing start to the season for Moor's charges.
They will be aiming to bounce back by beating their conqueror's city rivals, but that will be a tough ask for the Suncorp Stadium outfit.
Melbourne Victory form (all competitions): LWLLDW
Brisbane Roar Australian A-League form: L
Team News
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Brebner has overseen a huge overhaul of the Melbourne Victory playing squad this summer.
The club have attracted several players who have plied their trade in the English game, with Rudy Gestede, Jacob Butterfield, Ryan Shotton and Callum McManaman among the 12 incoming talents.
There was also a big overturn of players at Brisbane Roar in the off-season, with 11 players joining the club and eight departing.
The new signings may take time to settle at the Suncorp Stadium, but Moon will be hoping they come good sooner rather than later.
The Roar have no injuries or suspensions coming into this one and will name a full-strength side in what is likely to be a tough encounter.
Melbourne Victory possible starting lineup:
Acton; Roux, Ryan, Ansell, Traore; Rojas, Butterfield, Kruse, McManaman; Gestede, Folami
Brisbane Roar possible starting lineup:
Young; Hingert, Gillesphey, Aldred, Brown; Akbari, O'Shea; Ingham, Danzaki, Champness; Wenzel-Halls
We say: Melbourne Victory 2-0 Brisbane Roar
Melbourne may have finished several places below the visitors last season, but their summer signings should give them the edge on this occasion. The likes of Gestede and McManaman will be amongst the best players in the division and make the Victory hard to stop this season.
Top betting tip
George Cannon
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Brisbane Roar win with a probability of 39.26%. A win for Melbourne Victory had a probability of 35.36% and a draw had a probability of 25.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Brisbane Roar win was 0-1 with a probability of 8.92%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.58%) and 0-2 (6.38%). The likeliest Melbourne Victory win was 1-0 (8.39%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.99%). The actual scoreline of 1-3 was predicted with a 4.1% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Brisbane Roar would win this match.
