After a victory on derby day last weekend, Sydney FC will be pushing to continue their recent impressive form when they host Brisbane Roar.
The visitors are currently 10th in the A-League table, and are without a win in their previous six outings heading into this one.
Match preview
Sydney FC have been enjoying strong performances as of late as they head into this match on the back of a trio of victories which has helped them climb to fifth in the table.
All of those victories have been closely fought with just a goal separating each game, showcasing how strong the team have become at grinding out results, whether that be in high or low-scoring games.
Last weekend was the latter in what proved to be an intense Sydney derby that saw them come out on top 1-0, as Max Burgess scored the only goal of the game.
It continued their impressive form away from home, and that is something that Sydney FC will now look to bring back to their home fixtures which have proven to be harder to come by this season.
The Sky Blues have only won two of their seven home matches this season, and a big reason for that has been their lack of goals in those games, scoring just nien times.
That is something that could prove to be tough to change this weekend considering the fact that Brisbane Roar have the third-best defensive record in the entire division at the moment.
Even though the team currently sits 10th in the league table, that is largely down to their attacking performances as they might be strong at the back but they have scored fewer goals than every other team so far.
That was not a problem in the reverse fixture though as Brisbane Roar scored three times and defeated Sydney FC by three goals to one, which is something that they will be more than happy to repeat this time out.
The visitors have failed to win in their previous six outings and they have only been victorious once since the turn of the year which has been a big problem.
This is one of the reasons they have dropped down the table, but despite their recent difficulties, three points on Saturday could see them overtake Perth Glory.
Team News
Burgess has proved to be an important member of the Sydney FC team this season, and after scoring the winner last weekend he should retain his place on Saturday.
However, one player that the hosts will be without is Adam Le Fondre due to a hamstring problem, which will be a big blow considering his impressive attacking performances as of late.
While his presence will certainly be missed by Sydney FC, it will provide an opportunity for Patrick Wood to step in, as he did from the bench last weekend.
Carlo Armiento produced an impressive performance for the visitors in their most recent outing, and he will continue to be a threat from out wide this time around.
Stefan Scepovic was able to make his debut for the team as well from the bench, but this time around he could be used from the first whistle.
Sydney FC possible starting lineup:
Redmayne; Brattan, Donachie, Wilkinson, Caballo; Caceres, Brattan, Burgess; Lolley, Mak; Wood
Brisbane Roar possible starting lineup:
Holmes; Neville, Aldred, Chapman; Hingert, Courtney-Perkins, Armiento, Trewin; O'Shea; Kruse, Scepovic
We say: Sydney FC 2-0 Brisbane Roar
Brisbane Roar are heading into this game in very poor form, and considering they are struggling to score goals this season it might be tough to change that.
Sydney FC have won three consecutive matches previously, and adding a fourth to that run would not be a shock.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
