Preview: Brisbane Roar at Melbourne City in A-League Clash

MELBOURNE, Australia (Interstat) — A struggling Melbourne City side will face a Brisbane Roar team riding high in the A-League table when the two meet Tuesday at AAMI Park.

The match is a stark contrast in recent fortunes. Brisbane Roar (7-3-4) enters with confidence, sitting near the top of the league despite a shocking 3-0 friendly loss to Cambodian side Kampong Speu Province last Saturday. Prior to that, they had won four of their last five competitive matches, including a 2-1 victory over the Central Coast Mariners on New Year’s Eve.

Melbourne City (3-5-5), meanwhile, is mired in a winless slump. They have not secured a victory in their last four outings across all competitions, managing only two draws. Their most recent match was a scoreless draw with Sydney FC last Saturday.

The last meeting between these teams on Oct. 31 also ended in a 0-0 draw. Historical data heavily favors the visitors this time. According to Interstat’s ELO system, Brisbane Roar has a 79.60% probability to win. The organization’s game simulator projects a 2-1 victory for the Roar.

Brisbane’s form has been built on a sturdy defense and timely scoring, with three clean sheets in their last five league games. Melbourne City’s attack has sputtered, scoring just twice in that same four-game winless run.

For Melbourne City, the home fixture is a critical opportunity to halt their slide before a difficult stretch of the schedule. Brisbane Roar will look to validate their statistical favoritism and solidify their standing among the league’s elite.

Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. local time.

Next for Brisbane: Hosts Auckland FC on Friday in A-League play. Next for Melbourne City: Hosts Newcastle Jets on Sunday.