Sports Mole previews Saturday's Australian A-League clash between Adelaide United and Sydney FC, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Fresh off a hard-earned derby victory over Western Sydney Wanderers, Sydney FC travel to the Coopers Stadium to lock horns with Adelaide United on Saturday.

The hosts head into this game off the back of beating 11th-placed Melbourne Victory and will be aiming to build on that performance.

Match preview

Sydney FC players pictured in November 2020 © Reuters

After ending their five-game winless run with a 1-0 win over Brisbane Roar on May 5, Adelaide United fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Perth Glory three days later, but they quickly returned to winning ways as they claimed a narrow 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory last Sunday.

In a cagey affair at AAMI Park, Craig Goodwin scored the only goal of the game in the 19th minute to condemn the hosts to their 17th defeat of the campaign.

With 38 points from 24 matches, Carl Veart's men currently occupy fourth place in the A-League table, two places and three points behind Saturday's visitors.

Sydney, on the other hand, grabbed their third win on the bounce last Sunday when they fought hard for a 1-0 win over local rivals Western Sydney Wanderers.

Bobo's 62nd-minute strike was all that separated the sides, but it was enough to end the Sky Blues' six-game winless run in the Sydney derby.

Steve Corica's side are unbeaten in their last four outings, picking up 10 points from 12, and have lost just once since their 1-0 defeat against Adelaide United on March 28.

After an inconsistent start to the campaign which saw them languishing in mid-table, this upturn in form has helped Sydney rise to second place in the log.

While the visitors will aim to maintain their league position and secure an automatic playoff semi-final ticket, they face a stern test of taking on an Adelaide United side who are currently unbeaten in their last six home games.

Their last encounter came back in December when Jordan Elsey and Tomi Juric scored in the 75th and 79th minutes respectively to cancel out Bobo's brace and force a share of the spoils.

Adelaide United Australian A-League form:

Sydney FC Australian A-League form:

Team News

Sydney FC head coach Steve Corica pictured in December 2020 © Reuters

Stefan Mauk and Juande are doubts for Adelaide United after they were hauled off with second-half injuries in last week's win over Melbourne Victory.

Twenty-four-year-old midfielder Nathan Konstandopoulos remains on the sidelines after rupturing his ACL in the 4-0 loss to Macarthur back in February.

Meanwhile, Corica will have to cope without the services of Australian-born midfielder Calem Nieuwenhof, who is sidelined with a back problem.

Chris Zuvela remains out of contention for this game as he recovers from a knee injury he sustained against Wellington Phoenix back in February.

Having scored 10 goals in 15 starts since joining the club in January, veteran striker Bobo has been instrumental in the visitors' surge up the table, and we expect the in-form Brazilian to cause the Reds lots of trouble.

Adelaide United possible starting lineup:
Gauci; Marrone, Timotheou, Elsey, Lopez; Cavallo, D'Arrigo, Caletti; Halloran, Juric, Goodwin

Sydney FC possible starting lineup:
Redmayne; Grant, McGowan, Wilkinson, King; Barbarouses, Brattan, Caceres, Ninkovic; Le Fondre, Bobo

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We say: Adelaide United 1-2 Sydney FC

While Adelaide United appear to have found their feet in recent weeks, they take on a rampant Sydney side, who are currently on an impressive run of results. Looking at their current form and considering the strength of the two sides, we predict the visitors will claim a narrow win and end their winless run against the hosts.

Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Sydney FC win with a probability of 43.07%. A win for Adelaide United had a probability of 32.9% and a draw had a probability of 24%.

The most likely scoreline for a Sydney FC win was 1-2 with a probability of 8.99%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-1 (7.93%) and 0-2 (6.45%). The likeliest Adelaide United win was 2-1 (7.71%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.05%). The actual scoreline of 1-4 was predicted with a 2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Sydney FC would win this match.