Western Sydney Wanderers entertain Melbourne Victory in the Australian A-League on Wednesday morning as the hosts look to extend their five-game unbeaten run.
Grant Brebner's men, on the other hand, are currently enduring a torrid time. A 5-2 defeat to Brisbane Roar last time out saw the Victory fall to the bottom of the table.
Match preview
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After losing to the division's new boys Macarthur on the opening day of the season, Western Sydney Wanderers have recorded two victories and three draws in their following five outings.
Their nine-point haul has left them sitting in fifth position in the top-flight standings, six points behind league leaders Central Coast Mariners, albeit with a game in hand.
The Bankwest Stadium outfit performed poorly in 2019-20 and brought in former Newcastle Jets manager Carl Robinson to try and change their fortunes.
Robinson oversaw a large overhaul to the first-team squad over the summer, with seven new faces arriving at the club.
Ex-Premier League players Graham Dorrans and Jordon Mutch were among the new faces, and they seem to have taken them to another level. Three points in midweek would strengthen their playoff push, and the Wanderers will be confident coming into this one.
Melbourne Victory finished in a lowly 11th position last season, prompting the club's hierarchy to change their head coach and invest heavily in the playing squad.
Brebner replaced Carlos Perez in the dugout and brought in several stars who have previously plied their trade on English shores, in what was a busy off-season for the 2018 champions.
Former Blackburn Rovers striker Rudy Gestede was joined by Ryan Shotton, Jacob Butterfield and ex-Wigan Athletic winger Callum McManaman at the AAMI Park.
However, things have not gone to plan so far. They have picked up just four points from their opening five A-League games to leave them rooted to the foot of the table.
A positive result is much needed on Wednesday after the 5-2 thrashing they received over the weekend, and another unsatisfactory display in midweek could pile the pressure on Brebner and his struggling side.
Western Sydney Wanderers Australian A-League form: LWDWDD
Melbourne Victory Australian A-League form: LLWDL
Melbourne Victory form (all competitions): LLLWDL
Team News
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First-choice goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic is a long-term absentee for Western Sydney Wanderers and is once again unavailable for this midweek encounter.
The 33-year-old shot-stopper is the only injury worry for Robinson, though, who should name a full-strength side for a game he will be keen to pick up maximum points from.
Brebner has the luxury of a fully-fit squad to choose from for the trip to the Bankwest Stadium, and the Melbourne Victory head coach may be tempted to make some changes after their disappointing display last time out.
Summer-singing Gestede has been absent for the last three matchday squads through injury but is expected to be fit enough to play some part on Wednesday and could return to the bench.
Western Sydney Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Margush; Natta, Ziegler, Gordon; Aquilina, Baccus, Dorrans, Russell; Troisi, Cox, Ibini-Isei
Melbourne Victory possible starting lineup:
Crocombe; Traore, Ryan, Shotton, Roux; Broxham; Rojas, Brimmer, Butterfield, Kruse; Lawrie-Lattanzio
We say: Western Sydney Wanderers 2-1 Melbourne Victory
These are two teams in contrasting form, and we expect the game to reflect that. Melbourne Victory have really struggled in the current campaign and have shown no signs of improvement in their recent performances. The Wanderers are a tough team to beat, and they should have too much quality for their upcoming opponents.
Top betting tip
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 Western Sydney Wanderers win with a probability of 43.12%. A win for Melbourne Victory had a probability of 30.78% and a draw had a probability of 26.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Western Sydney Wanderers win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.61%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.9%) and 2-0 (7.61%). The likeliest Melbourne Victory win was 0-1 (8.66%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.41%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 7.6% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Western Sydney Wanderers would win this match.
