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Melbourne City will lock horns against Western Sydney Wanderers at the CommBank Stadium in the A-League on Friday.
This will be the first edition of the A-League Unite Round, with all games during matchday 12 being played at three venues across Sydney. Both teams have 18 points to their name from 11 league games thus far and the Wanderers are in third place in the league table, a spot above City thanks to their superior goal difference.
City registered a comeback 2-1 away win over Western United on Sunday, getting 2024 off to a winning start. Michael Ruhs opened the scoring in the 13th minute to give United the lead but second-half goals from Hamza Sakhi and Terry Antonis helped City to their fifth win of the season.
Wanderers suffered their third defeat of the campaign on Saturday, falling to a 1-0 loss to Central Coast Mariners. Marco Túlio scored a long-range stunner in his final game for the Mariners helping his team to their third win on the spin before leaving for Kyoto Sanga.
Melbourne City vs Western Sydney Wanderers Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have squared off 32 times in all competitions since 2013 with all but three meetings coming in the A-League. They have contested these games closely, with City having a narrow 13-12 lead and seven games have ended in draws.
- City are on a nine-game unbeaten run against Wanderers, recording six wins.
- Melbourne City are unbeaten in their last eight games across all competitions, recording four wins and playing four draws.
- Western Sydney Wanderers have been inconsistent in the league recently, suffering three defeats in their last five games and recording wins in their remaining two games.
- Wanderers have the joint-best defensive record in the A-League this season, conceding 12 goals in 11 games.
Melbourne City vs Western Sydney Wanderers Prediction
Hearts are unbeaten in their last nine meetings against the Wanderers. They have scored at least three goals in four of their last five meetings against the Wanderers and will look to continue their goalscoring form in this match.
There are no fresh absentees for head coach Aurelio Vidmar, so he is expected to field the same starting XI that defeated Western United last week.
The Wanderers have lost two of their last three league outings and have also failed to score in these defeats. They have just one win in their last 12 meetings against City and might struggle here.
Brandon Borrello is a long-term absentee for them while Lawrence Thomas has been called up by the Australia national team for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. Daniel Margush did well in his debut in Thomas' absence and is likely to retain his place in the starting XI as Jack Gibson suffered a serious leg injury in the warm-up against Central Coast Mariners and faces a spell on the sidelines.
Considering the current form of the two teams and City's advantage in the head-to-head record, we back them to record a narrow win.
Prediction: Melbourne City 2-1 Western Sydney Wanderers
Melbourne City vs Western Sydney Wanderers Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Melbourne City to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Jamie Maclaren to score or assist any time - Yes
