Brisbane Roar vs. Western Sydney Wanderers – A-League, April 3, 2021

The Wanderers will aim to return to winning ways against struggling Brisbane at Dolphin Stadium on Saturday, April 3.

Western Sydney enjoyed three straight victories before suffering a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Melbourne City last time out. On the flip side, the Roar head into Saturday’s A-League showdown on a seven-match winless streak.

Before we get to my Brisbane Roar vs. Western Sydney Wanderers prediction and betting pick, let’s take a look at the odds.

10bet clearly believes that home-field advantage will have a big say in the outcome of this clash.

The Roar are on a woeful run, while the Wanderers have won three of their last four games, yet the bookies favor Brisbane to claim all three points on Saturday.

Needless to say, there is value in the odds for the draw, and the away win here.

Warren Moon’s men were given a welcome break from their recent struggles after last weekend’s match against Western United was postponed – and they can thank South East Queensland’s torrential rain for that.

But Roar returns to action this weekend, hoping to record their first win in seven games.

Brisbane’s wretched run has raised all kinds of questions, although there is no doubting that scoring goals have been the team’s biggest problem lately.

Granted, the Roar have kept two clean sheets along the way, with goalless draws coming against Newcastle and Sydney FC. They have also conceded just one goal in each of their last three matches – earning two draws in the process.

But if the Queenslanders’ attacking issues persist on Saturday, they will almost certainly struggle to overcome the Wanderers.

Three straight wins over Western United, Wellington, and Perth marked a hugely successful period for Western Sydney last month. Not only did Carl Robinson’s men score eight goals in that time, but they also achieved two shutouts.

However, a third clean sheet in four games was never likely to come against free-scoring Melbourne City.

As it turned out, the Wanderers were crushed 4-1 by City. Bernie Ibini-Isei even gave WSW the lead at AAMI Park, although his first-half effort proved to be Western Sydney’s only shot on target last time out.

It is worth noting that there is no shame in losing to high-flying City at the moment. Of course, a defeat is a defeat. But City has been blowing teams away recently, so the Wanderers shouldn’t feel too disheartened.

Let’s not forget that Robinson’s men have only lost four of their 14 matches this season, with three wins coming in their previous four outings.

The Wanderers were outclassed by Melbourne City last time out, but that doesn’t mean a lot right now. Robinson’s men enjoyed a promising spell before meeting City, so I expect them to return to winning ways on Saturday.

The Roar have had a couple of weeks to prepare for this game, although I’m not sure the prolonged lay-off will have done them any favors. Brisbane simply hasn’t been good enough lately, making the big price for the away win very attractive here.