A-League weekend matchday preview – Part One

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Another long weekend of A League action is upon us, with three games over Friday and Saturday for part one of the gameweek preview.

The A League is midway through its season with Central Coast Mariners topping the standings six points clear of Western Sydney, despite finishing bottom in the last campaign. Melbourne Victory are languishing at the foot of the table whilst their City counterparts are well placed in the play-off places. The battle for the remaining play-off spots is tight and with a number of games still to come, the table could easily turn on its head come season end.

Western Sydney Wanderers vs Perth Glory

The hosts are second in the A League standings and have outperformed the initial expectations that were set at the start of the campaign. Back-to-back wins against Wellington Pheonix and Western United have allowed them to bounce back after a big defeat to Melbourne City. Dylan McGowan will return to the fold for this one after his recent recovery, although it will be too soon for Vedran Janjetovic.

After a solid start to the season, Perth have dropped off in form and find themselves sat in ninth place in the division without a win in three games. Christopher Oikonomidis remains unavailable for the visitors through long-term injury; however, Diego Castro will be welcomed back into the squad following his recovery.

Western Sydney have a number of players who have made the move from the UK to Australia. Ex-West Brom midfielder Graham Dorrans has been a pivotal figure in the heart of midfield since his move, whilst ex-Birmingham central midfielder Jordan Mutch has played more of a sporadic role this season. Ziggy Gordon, a right back who spent time at Hamilton and Partick Thistle has been a mainstay in the side, whilst Irish striker Simon Cox leads the line, albeit with only one goal this campaign.

As for Perth, Neil Kilkenny plays in the midfield, having spent time in England with the likes of Leeds and Preston. Whilst another Irishman in Andy Keogh plays up top. The key man for Glory is Bruno Fornaroli, with the Uruguayan netting five times in nine games so far this season. Fornaroli has been a mainstay in the league, scoring over fifty goals for Melbourne City before his move.

Macarthur vs Western United

Macarthur will go into this one off the back of two convincing defeats to Melbourne City and Central Coast Mariners. This is the clubs inaugural season in the A League following their formation four years ago and they will want to make a good impression currently sitting sixth in midtable. Michael Ruhs may not make the game after being substituted in the 46^th minute against City.

For the visitors, they will take heart from their 4-1 victory over Macarthur earlier in the season and they picked up a needed win last time out against Brisbane Roar following back-to-back defeats. Western United are another newly formed franchise, however they began last season with a fifth placed finish, so their current standing in eighth will be a disappointment.

Macarthur boast several former UK-based players alongside some Spanish flair. English striker Matt Derbyshire is having a fine season for the club with seven goals in 12 games, whilst ex-Reading keeper Adam Federici is their number one. Mark Milligan returned to Australia following his time with Hibernian and Southend, regaining form, and providing two goals from midfield. Susaeta and Benat, both former Athletic Bilbao midfielders, bring a European feel to the squad and provide the creative quality that Derbyshire has thrived from.

As for Western United, there is one Englishman in the squad in the form of Kaine Sheppard who has not seen much match action, but he is a former Histon player from the depths on non-league. Former Watford and West Ham midfielder Alessandro Diamanti is a key figure in the central midfield, alongside Espanyol legend Victor Sanchez who has provided three goals this campaign. The main man for United is Besart Berisha, with the Kosovan scoring 19 goals in the 2019/20 season and already providing five goals this year.

Sydney vs Melbourne Victory

Sydney picked up two important victories in recent weeks against Western United and Newcastle Jets to end a run of three games without a win. They are fifth in the table just a point off the top two and will see this game as an ideal chance to pick up three points against a struggling side.

Victory are slumped at the bottom of the division with three defeats on the spin including a resounding 6-0 home defeat to their City rivals. Just seven points in 11 games sees them four points adrift of Newcastle Jets in 11^th. Their two victories have come against Wellington Pheonix and Perth Glory and confidence will be low heading to a strong opposition in Sydney.

Sydney have a much more Australian-heavy squad compared to most in the division, although one of those in defender Ryan McGowan will be known to fans of Hearts and Bradford where he spent time earlier in his career. Milos Ninkovic and Anthony Caceres pull the strings in midfield, whilst 18-year-old youth prospect Patrick Wood has made a big impression up top scoring three goals so far this campaign.

Melbourne Victory boast a number of well-known players to have played in the UK but this has not translated into performances on the pitch. Ex-Wigan winger Callum McManaman has provided two goals this season from the wide areas, whilst Jacob Butterfield plays the holding role in the centre. Rudy Gestede leads the line with three goals in eight games and ex-Middlesbrough defender Ryan Shotton has proved uninspiring in the backline.

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