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It’s fifth versus sixth tonight when Western Sydney Wanderers take on Melbourne Victory in what looks a tantalising clash between two of the in-form teams of the A-League. We’ll have live scores and commentary from 7.45pm AEDT.
FFA officials would have been slightly twitchy following the Wanderers’ opening three matches in which they managed just one solitary point and failed to trouble to scoresheet in all three matches.
But three wins in their past four, including a well-executed 1-0 victory at Perth last weekend, has eased fears and seen the red and black rise to fifth in the table.
There is still a long, long way to go in the competition and there is no doubt Tony Popovic’s hastily arranged squad will have its depth tested as the rigours of the season set in, but they’ve given Wanderers fans plenty to cheer about so far.
Tonight they come up against a Melbourne Victory side who have been making their own steady march up the A-League ladder in recent weeks.
Their prospects looked bleak last weekend as Central Coast Mariners threatened to run riot in the opening exchanges of their contest at Etihad Stadium last Saturday night, but Ange Postecoglou’s men dug in and deserved the point they earned from a 2-2 draw.
Postecolgou certainly won’t be happy with his side’s ability to defend – their record of 16 goals conceded in seven matches is the second worst in the A-League – but they’ve managed to pick up points along the way and will continue to improve as the season continues.
One player whose form Postecoglou would be thrilled with is Andrew Nabbout. The young striker was a virtual unknown a fortnight ago but three goals in two matches has quickly changed that. With Gui Finkler doubtful and Marcos Flores suspended, Nabbout could slot in alongside Thompson and Rojas.
Tony Popovic will have his own selection questions to answer, with the suspension of Youssef Hersi and the potential unavailability of Shinji Ono depriving the Wanderers of two of their most creative attacking threats.
The key to this one will be which side can overcome the loss of the aforementioned midfielders and manufacture enough quality chances to win the match.
Both sides will come into this one with plenty of confidence and expect a result, but we might see the points shared tonight.
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