Seventh heaven for City as Rudan no-shows presser after horror defeat
Under-pressure Western Sydney coach Marko Rudan has failed to front up for his post-match press conference after a 7-0 thrashing from Melbourne City, the…
The Western Sydney Wanderers welcome Melbourne City to Spotless Stadium as Round 24 of the A-League gets underway. Join The Roar from 7:50pm (AEDT) for live scores.
Tony Popovic’s Wanderers haven’t had a great season, however they find themselves in sixth place and, five points clear of the Wellington Phoenix, look like they’ll sneak into the finals.
Melbourne City currently sit third on the ladder, behind runaway leaders Sydney FC and crosstown rivals the Victory, and will be hoping to build up some momentum as we move towards the pointy end of the season.
Both sides will be full of confidence heading into this clash after registering resounding victories last week. The Wanderers beat the Nix 3-1 at home while City smashed the Jets 4-0 in Melbourne.
The form line for these two sides is identical over the past six fixtures, with three wins, two losses and a draw in their previous encounters.
Historically, it’s been fairly even when these two sides meet. In the past six clashes between the two, City have taken maximum points on three occasions, the Wanderers two as well as a draw. In their most recent meeting, City emerged victorious at a scoreline of 1-0.
In team news, the Wanderers welcome Shannon Cole, Steven Lustica and Ryan Griffiths to the fold. While Lachlan Scott and Jacob Melling make way.
For City, Dean Bouzanis will be back between the sticks following a suspension, while Daniel Arzani, Michael Jakobsen and Dennis Genreau also feature in the squad. Tim Cahill will play no part thanks to his Socceroos commitments while keeper Yaren Sozer is also an omission.
Prediction
This one isn’t an easy call. City are without Cahill but welcome back Bouzanis while the Wanderers bring in Griffiths and Jakobsen – it should be a close contest. Considering their similar form, I think these two sides will be too even to split.
Western Sydney Wanderers 1-1 Melbourne City
Join The Roar from 7:50pm on Friday night for live scores.