Western Sydney Wanderers vs. Brisbane Roar – A-League April 16, 2021

The Wanderers welcome the Roar to Bankwest Stadium on Friday, April 16, for an important clash in the race for a top-six finish.

Sixth-place Western Syndey currently leads seventh-place Brisbane by five points on the A-League ladder. However, the Roar have three games in hand over the Wanderers.

The two sides produced a 1-1 draw earlier in the month – and that result is definitely worth considering when it comes to making your Western Sydney Wanderers vs. Brisbane Roar prediction.

Let’s take a closer look at the teams before assessing the A-League odds and deciding on a betting pick.

Having won three of their five matches in March, the Wanderers have hit somewhat of a stumbling block in recent weeks.

The previous meeting with Brisbane turned out to be the start of a three-game drawing streak for Western Sydney, with ties against the Mariners and Adelaide United following soon after.

But following four matches without a victory, WSW will be eager to return to winning ways.

Bruce Kamau bagged a brace against Central Coast last week, while Mitchell Duke has clocked up four goals and two assists in ten appearances since returning to the club. The squad is packed with goalscorers, but they need to start turning draws into wins.

A win for the Wanderers on Friday would open up an eight-point lead between them and Brisbane. On the flip side, a loss would see that gap closed to just two points.

Much like Western Sydney, the Roar endured a difficult run of their own recently. Indeed, an eight-game winless streak saw Brisbane plummet down the A-League ladder.

However, Warren Moon’s men finally picked up their first win since early February last time out. Strikes from Dylan Wenzel-Halls and Riku Danzaki handed them a 2-1 victory over Macarthur, with Lachlan Rose netting a late consolation goal for the Bulls.

Having picked up five draws across their eight-match winless run, the Roar have only lost three of their previous nine outings. Still, they will need to extend their three-game unbeaten streak if they are series about competing in the Finals Series.

With seven goals and two assists to his name this term, Wenzel-Halls arguably holds the key to Brisbane’s top-six chances. If he can emulate his early-season scoring spree, the Queenslanders should find themselves there or thereabouts come the end of the campaign.

Let’s not forget that Brisbane currently boasts the second-best defensive record in the A-League.

As the odds suggest, the best online sports betting sites can barely separate these two sides. WSW (2.45) is the slight favorite to win on Friday, although Brisbane (2.75) isn’t too far behind.

The Wanderers will be desperate to avoid a fourth draw on the spin, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a winner at Bankwest Stadium.

It feels like Moon’s men have come through their sticky patch and are now ready to climb to the A-League ladder. Following an impressive victory over Macarthur last weekend, I’m backing Brisbane to claim all three points on Friday.

Ultimately, the Wanderers are stuck in a bit of a rut at the moment. The visit of a rejuvenated Roar team isn’t likely to ease Western Sydney’s woes.