FTS A-League Round 1 Preview: Melbourne Victory vs Western Sydney Wanderers
The 2014/15 Hyundai A-League Season kicks off on Friday night with a blockbuster clash between the Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers.
Considered by many as the title favourites this season, Victory will look to hit the ground running on the back of a very impressive preseason, in which they went undefeated through the course of ten games. With nine wins and one draw, Victory scored 38 goals while only conceding 2, including impressive victories against opposing A-League outfits Perth Glory and Adelaide United.
Melbourne Victory’s off-season has seen Kevin Muscat build what is arguably Victory’s most talented squad in recent years. With key acquisitions in the form of Besart Berisha and Matthieu Delpierre, the Victory, on paper, are set to contend for silverware this season.
Western Sydney Wanderers have been achieving some success of their own, however on a much larger scale than their opponents. The Wanderers established themselves as only the second Australian side to make the Asian Champions League final last week. To reach the final, Tony Popovic’s men had to overcome the former Asian Champions, Guangzhou Evergrande and FC Seoul.
Despite this, Western Sydney has seen a mass exodus of talent and will need to gel if they are to challenge a rampant Victory outfit. Notable exits from the club include dynamic winger Yousoff Hersi and fan favourite Shinji Ono. Fresh faces will grace ‘Wanderland’ this season, including the likes of promising playmaker Vitor Saba and another Dutch winger in the form of Romeo Castelen.
The clash between the two heavyweights is set to start the competition off with a bang, with a crowd over 30,000 expected at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.
Eyes on: Vitor Saba – The bearded Brazilian has shown glimpses in the Asian Champions League, but is yet to fully show Australian football fans why Tony Popovic bought him. Brought into the side as a replacement for prolific playmaker Shinji Ono, look for Saba to be at the centre of Western Sydney’s attack.
Head to Head: Played: 6. Melbourne Victory: 2. Draw: 1. Western Sydney Wanderers: 3
Last Meeting: 14/01/14 at AAMI Park. Melbourne Victory 3-1 Western Sydney Wanderers
Melbourne Victory (probable): Coe; Geria, Delpierre, Leijer, Georgievski; Broxham, Valeri, Finkler; Barbarouses, Berisha, Pain
Western Sydney (probable): Covic; Mullen, Golec, Hamill, Cole; La Rocca, Poljak Bridge, Saba; Appiah, Santalab
Absentees:
Melbourne Victory: Mark Milligan (Socceroos), Dylan Murnane (Young Socceroos), Connor Pain (Young Socceroos)
Western Sydney Wanderers: Nikolai Topor-Stanley (Socceroos), Tomi Juric (Groin 1-2 weeks), Matt Spiranovic (Ankle 2-3 weeks).
Prediction:
Melbourne Victory 1-0 Western Sydney
I think the Victory will edge this one, in what’ll be a very tight contest between both teams. Expecting both sides to be resolute defensively, but I think Berisha will quickly become a fan favourite amongst the Victory faithful and edge the ACL finalists in a tense contest.
FTS Facts:
Melbourne Victory: The Victory hasn’t won a round one game in the last eight years. The last Victory round one win dates back to the 25th of August 2006, where they beat Adelaide United 2-0.
Western Sydney: The Wanderers have beaten the Victory 3 out of 6 games they’ve played, giving them a 50% winning record against the navy blue side, the highest of any team in the competition.
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