Thursday 001 AFL Melbourne City vs Brisbane
The home team, Melbourne City, reached the finals last season, but unfortunately lost 1-6 to the Midshore Mariners in the final. This season, Melbourne City's overall performance is average, with only 3 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses after 9 rounds of the league. In their last game, Melbourne City drew 0-0 with Melbourne Victory. In addition, Melbourne City's defensive problems cannot be ignored. This season, they have conceded 16 goals in nine league games, an average of 178 capsules. This suggests that they have obvious holes on the defensive end that need to be taken seriously.
Brisbane Roar are currently in 5th place in the league with 4 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses, and have suffered consecutive defeats in their last 2 games, losing to Western United and Central Mariners respectively. On the road, Brisbane have been in decent form, with 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss, scoring in 5 away games. However, Brisbane Roar's recent league performances have not been satisfactory. They lost 3-0 at home to Central Coast Mariners in their last fixture and have recently dropped points in two consecutive league games. This has had a certain impact on their state. In addition, the Brisbane Roar also underperformed. Moreover, they were completely underdogs in their previous encounters, winning only one of their 10 meetings and dropping points in eight consecutive games away from home.
Melbourne City have faced some problems, but their quality and past head-to-head record have given them an advantage. Despite the recent draws, their home advantage and scoring intent cannot be ignored. Brisbane Roar, on the other hand, have been in poor form recently and have been at a disadvantage in the past. While their scoring probabilities and attacking quality on the road are commendable, they are under tremendous pressure to think about Melbourne City in the face of their impressive quality and home advantage.
Overall, I personally think Melbourne City has a better chance.