FTS A-League Round 14 Preview: Western Sydney Wanderers vs Melbourne Victory

In what is the Hyundai A-League’s final fixture before the Asian Cup envelope’s the minds of the public, Melbourne Victory  travel to Pirtek Stadium to play the Western Sydney Wanderers.

On the domestic front, the back end of 2014 was a rather forgettable one for Tony Popovic and co. A combination of dismal displays, player fatigue and fixture congestion culminated in the Asian Champions propping up the competition and still yet to taste a win. With finals contention already seeming an extremely difficult objective to complete, the Wanderers would be desperate for nothing less than three points.

Meanwhile, Kevin Muscat’s Melbourne Victory outfit travel to Parramatta after losing 2-1 to ladder leaders Perth Glory in Geelong. These two sides opened Season 10 of the A-League competition back in October and on that particular night it was a vicious Victory side who wreaked havoc over a weak Western Sydney team that in the end went down 4-1 at the Etihad. Muscat, having just recently signed a comforting contract extension until 2018 will be hoping to get his men back to winning ways if they are to continue the pressure on Perth in the race for the Premiers Plate.

It has been hard to identify whether the problems on or off the pitch are the most concerning when tasked with trying to debunk the debacle that looms over the A-League’s newest club. The last few weeks, amidst the draws and defeats, have seen rumours of player sale and releases arise much to the confusion of many. The red and black’s performance in their 0-0 draw on New Year’s Day at home to the Mariners did little to unease the frustration building in the stands as tempers flared between certain fans and players alike. If there ever was a time for the opposition to capitalise on these woes, Melbourne are in the midst of this opportunity. Nevertheless, expect an entertaining and attacking match of football.

Eyes On… Tony Popovic

With the insurmountable pressure that continues to pile on the shoulders of Popovic it’s hard to wonder why the eyes of the public would not be firmly fixed on his every move. Supposed player rifts, squad adjustments and routine defeats appear to be the constants in this forgettable season thus far. With the Asian Champions League set to begin after the Asian Cup, coupled with further fixture congestion given the A-League calendar’s recommencement, it could continue to go from bad to worse. A victory on Tuesday night for Tony Popovic and co. would do a world of good and may just resurrect their poor campaign.

Head-to-Head:

Played: 7. Western Sydney Wanderers: 3. Melbourne Victory: 3.

Last Meeting: 10/10/2014 at Etihad Stadium. Melbourne Victory 4-1 Western Sydney Wanderers

Form Guide:

Western Sydney Wanderers: DLLLD Melbourne Victory: WDLWL

Absentee List:

Western Sydney Wanderers: Michael Trajkovski (not selected), Brendon Santalab (shoulder – indefinite), Golgol Mebrahtu (knee – indefinite), Tomi Juric (international duty – 1 match), Matthew Spiranovic (international duty – 1 match).

Melbourne Victory: Adrian Leijer (suspended – 1 week), Mark Milligan (international duty), Daniel Georgievski (ankle – 1 week), Matthieu Delpierre (foot – 3-4 weeks).

Possible XI:

Western Sydney Wanderers: Covic; Cole; Topor-Stanley; La Rocca; Hamill; Poljak; Kalmar; Haliti; Bridge; Saba; Rukavytsya

Melbourne Victory: Coe; Geria; Ansell; Galloway; Murnane; Broxham; Valeri; Khalfallah; Finkler; Barbarouses; Berisha

Prediction:

Western Sydney 0-1 Melbourne Victory

FTSAUS Fact:

The Western Sydney Wanderers have not won a regular season match in the Hyundai A-League since April 12 2014. The last time Wanderers won a regular season match at Pirtek Stadium dates back even further to March 23 2014. Winless.

Western Sydney have not scored a goal in over 4 hours of football. Melbourne Victory jointly boast the second best defence in the league. Comfortable away performance perhaps?

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