Preview: Brisbane Roar vs. Melbourne City - prediction, team news, lineups

The hosts are without a victory in their previous two matches, while the visitors have only lost once throughout the campaign.

Match preview

Brisbane Roar are currently seventh in the league table, and they have found themselves sharing the points more often than not throughout the season.

No team has drawn more games in the A-League than Warren Moon's team, but they would likely have been happy with that in their previous match.

Instead, Brisbane Roar were defeated 1-0 by Wellington Phoenix which was the second fixture in a row where they were beaten.

A big issue for the Lions has been scoring goals this season, as they have only managed 10, which is the joint-worst record in the division.

Considering the fact that they now face the team with the best defensive record to date it might be a challenge to try and change that in this fixture.

That is something that Melbourne City will be hoping is the case as they look to maintain or even extend their gap at the top of the table.

The Hearts are four points above their nearest rival and they boast a game in hand, showcasing their comfortable position at the moment.

Despite that, the team were reminded how competitive the league is during their last outing as they ended up drawing against Western Sydney Wanderers.

Melbourne City fell behind in the 19th minute and had to fight their way back into the match, with a goal from Richard van der Venne helping to rescue a point.

Away from home the Hearts have not been as dominant, with two of their six fixtures not resulting in wins, which is something that the hosts will take some confidence from.

Brisbane Roar Australian A-League form:

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Melbourne City Australian A-League form:

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Team News

Brisbane Roar opted to let young striker Cyrus Dehmie leave the club this week, which will lower the number of attacking options available to the team.

However, the squad will be getting a shot in the arm as Jay O'Shea will once again be available following his recent suspension.

Jamie Maclaren may not have scored last weekend, but he still remains the leading goalscorer for the visitors and will be sure to provide a major threat here.

Scott Jamieson and Andrew Nabbout have been consistent threats off the bench recently as well, showcasing the strength in depth that Melbourne City have.

Brisbane Roar possible starting lineup:

Holmes; Hingert, Neville, Champman, Courtney-Perkins, Knowles; O'Shea, Trewin, Hore, Armiento; Mileusenic

Melbourne City possible starting lineup:

Glover; Bos, Good, Lam, Talbot; O'Neill, Berisha, Van der Venne, Leckie, Tilio; Maclaren

We say: Brisbane Roar 0-2 Melbourne City

Brisbane Roar heads into this match as the underdogs, and that is something that is due to the league positioning of the two teams.

The visitors will be confident that they can keep themselves at the top of the league table, and that is likely going to be the case with a routine win here.

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