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The history books beckon tonight as the Western Sydney Wanderers travel to Newcastle Jets, just a win or a draw away from closing out the A-League Premiership in their first season. We’ll have live scores and commentary from 5.30pm AEDT.
The Wanderers will be kicking themselves after squandering last week’s opportunity to secure the premiership at home against rivals Sydney FC.
Several thousand supporters will make the trip from Western Sydney tonight to cheer on their red and black heroes.
For the neutrals, it makes for great theatre, as the last round will ultimately decide who is crowned minor premiers.
Despite the lack of promotion and relegation, this season has illustrated that the six-team finals series can provide excitement for all teams from beginning to end.
Indeed, Newcastle has everything to play for tonight. A win or a draw could see them move into the top six. Losing will not be an option for Gary van Egmond’s side.
Strangely, fans of Sydney FC and Central Coast will both be rooting for their rivals to win tonight. Football, as they say, is a funny old game.
Newcastle will be boosted by the return of Emile Heskey, who has been inspirational for the Jets this season. Newcastle fans will expect a big performance from their main man up front tonight.
However watch out for speedy youngsters James Virgili, Craig Goodwin and Adam Taggart, who will look to get in behind a resolute Wanderers defence.
Newcastle have been frustratingly inconsistent this campaign, but the mid-season signing of Zenon Caravella has proved to be a cunning bit of recruitment.
Sitting alongside Ruben Zadkovich, the Jets’ midfield has been energized by the arrival of Caravella.
For the Wanderers, they’ll be missing several key players Shinji Ono, Jerome Polenz, Adam D’Apuzzo and Iacopo La Rocca.
Additionally, it’s still unclear whether Aaron Mooy and Michael Beauchamp will be fit to take the park.
There have been many reasons for the success of the A-League’s newest club this season. One of the least spoken about has been their excellent run of fitness.
As all A-League clubs know, keeping players fit and healthy is an absolute must for a consistent season.
At this late stage, the last thing Western Sydney need is for their squad to be decimated by injury and suspension.
In any event, it’s extra incentive for the Wanderers to win tonight to prove their squad’s depth before the finals series.
Look out for regulars Yousseff Hersi, Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Mateo Poljak to take control of the game.
Big-game player Shannon Cole will also be relishing the opportunity to nail down a spot in the starting eleven.
I’m tipping an upset to the Jets tonight, and a win for the Central Coast tomorrow night. This season has been anything but predictable.
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