Young excellence, promotion battles, and a happy farewell: The Australian team of the week from players around the globe
Even though St.Pauli ultimately lost a high-scoring affair, Jackson Irvine was a standout, as well as scoring a late goal.
Fourth-placed Western Sydney Wanderers will be looking for another home win tonight when they host Melbourne Heart in the second of the A-League’s Sydney-Melbourne rivalry matchups tonight. We’ll have live scores from 7.45pm AEDT.
It’s been an up-and-down season for Melbourne Heart, but three wins from their past four matches has seen John Alosi’s side climb into the top six.
With ten matches still to play there is still plenty of work for the Heart to do, particularly with the likes of Sydney FC and Perth Glory looming outside the six.
But the return of young striker Eli Babalj, who returns to Melbourne after unexpectedly leaving Serbian giant Red Star Belgrade, and the return of Vince Grella to match fitness should see the Heart continue to build.
Unfortunately, the loss of Brazilian playmaker Fred will hurt the Heart, but Babalj and Grella are both expected to start off the bench tonight.
Western Sydney have cemented themselves as an A-League contender after a strong two-month period of form, and they also come into this one having won three of their past four.
With an eight-point gap between the Wanderers (fourth) and the Heart (fifth), Tony Popovic’s side could make a top-four finish a near-certainty with three points here.
The red-and-black half of Sydney have been the success story of the A-League this season and they are a side brimming with confidence, and they should be too strong for the Heart in this one.