Sydney FC vs Brisbane Roar
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Today’s free tip is in the Australian FFA Cup match between Sydney FC and Brisbane Roar. Kick-off is 7am(!) UK time so be quick, folks!
Sydney have absentees but nowhere near as many as their opponents. Or rather, they’re far more capable of dealing with them than Roar are.
In addition to long-term absentees like Zuvela, Barbarouses, Zullo, O’Toole, and Brattan, Sydney FC are now also without Nieuwenhof and Le Fondre, the latter of which is regarded as their star striker. When you can replace him with Bobo though, Barbarouses with Kamsoba, and with Amini posed to make his debut as Brattan’s short-term replacement, it’s hard to be concerned.
That’s especially true because The Sky Blues have actually started to look more like their selves in recent fixtures. I won’t say that they’ve been amazing, and they’ve not blown teams away. That’s not their style though. What they’ve done is defended resolutely, held their shape, and taken their chances. That’s as good as it gets for Sydney FC – and they’re getting there. With Burgess playing surprisingly well at the moment, Donachie slotting in well alongside Wilkinson, and Corica managing to make the most out of the improved speed they have now Kamsoba is there, it’s fair to say that Sydney FC are solving their problems, slowly but surely.
I still have grave concerns over their long-term future because there’s not nearly enough activity in their camp to replace the players that they’re going to lose through the ravages of time. I also don’t think that Corica is the right man to lead them, and that they need to play a more modern brand of football. However, those problems are non-existent when it comes to hosting Brisbane Roar. Assuming there’s not too much rotation here (and I don’t see how there can be) then Sydney FC should not struggle to win this FFA Cup tie.
Ordinarily, I’d expect Roar to trouble Sydney FC with their energy because, well, let’s face it – that’s all they’ve got to offer. However, based on how they performed prior to their unintended break from playing matches, there’s no chance of that happening. I never have any issues with Roar’s application; it’s simply that they lack quality in attack. They’ve at least been able to fall back on their trusty defence in recent years but since shot stopper Young left, as did centre-back Gillesphey, that’s been a lot harder. Furthermore, Aldred’s long-term injury has basically eradicated Roar’s defence, although I must confess that I have been impressed with loanee Milnaric. It’ll be interesting to see whether Sydney FC (Milnaric’s parent club) allow him to play in either match this week.
Roar are a mess though. Their new signings haven’t gelled; not even close, and a period of not playing matches hasn’t helped. Lescano has done alright, and former Sydney FC forward Ivanovic has been the pick of the bunch, but Olsen and Mileusnic have been invisible, for the most part. There’s no creativity in this squad; everything they do is predictable, and they don’t seem to want to give proven players like Parsons the time of the day on that front. It’s sad to see, really.
At least Roar are able to contain teams though – right? Wrong. Aldred isn’t the only defender out at the moment; Brown and Hingert are too, which means all but Neville are out when it comes to experience and dependability. Whether they’ve played in a five or a four this season, they’ve still gone on to concede goals without that trio, and that shouldn’t change in Sydney. I don’t think the continued benching of defensive midfielder Steinmann has helped either; he’s an excellent screener.
The final point is that Roar have admitted that they’re battling Covid-19 at the moment. They’ve only just got enough players to make a squad here, or so they say. I don’t think it’s all that serious because most teams in the A-League have been a lot more quiet about who has been out when it’s been the more important players so Roar being as open as they are makes me think that it’s either not all that bad, or they’re paving the way for benching their main men ahead of the league meeting between these two teams at the weekend. Working purely based on what I know to be true here though, it makes complete sense to oppose Roar here as they look weak in every area of the pitch.
Therefore, I’m on Sydney FC to beat the -1 Asian Handicap at 51/50.
Verdict: Sydney FC to beat the -1.5 Asian Handicap at 51/50.
Wednesday’s Thoughts
As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts. For confidence ratings, you’ll need to go to the members section here.
International Friendlies:
Uganda vs Iceland
Australian FFA Cup:
Sydney FC vs Brisbane Roar
English Premier League:
West Ham United vs Norwich City
English League Cup:
Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea
Israeli State Cup:
Maccabi Netanya vs Hapoel Be’er Sheva
Maccabi Haifa vs Beitar Jerusalem
Italian Coppa Italia:
Atalanta Bergamo vs Venezia
Italian Super Cup:
Internazionale vs Juventus
Portuguese Liga 2:
Varzim vs Farense
Portuguese Taca de Portugal:
Rio Ave vs Tondela
Vizela vs FC Porto
Spanish Super Cup:
Barcelona vs Real Madrid
Enjoy your free betting tips!