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Sydney will welcome league leaders and local rivals Western Sydney Wanderers to the Allianz Stadium in the A-League on Saturday.
The hosts registered their first win of the season in their previous outing, with Joe Lolley and Jaiden Kucharski bagging first-half braces in their 5-1 thrashing of Adelaide United.
They had lost their first three home games of the campaign and also scored for the first time this season in that match. The win helped them climb to 10th place in the league table.
The visitors are one of the four teams to have enjoyed an unbeaten start to their league campaign. A 2-0 win over Perth Glory in their previous outing, thanks to goals from Tate Russell and Jack Clisby, helped them climb to the top of the league table.
Sydney vs Western Sydney Wanderers Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two rivals have met 35 times in all competitions thus far. The hosts have the upper hand in the head-to-head record with 16 wins to their name. The visitors have got the better of the hosts 10 times and nine games have ended in draws.
- They met three times in the league last season, with the visitors recording two wins and the hosts registering one win. Interestingly, wins for both teams came in away meetings.
- Western Sydney Wanderers have the best defensive record in the A-League this season, conceding just twice in four games, Sydney, meanwhile, have conceded eight times in that period.
- The visitors have kept three clean sheets in four league games thus far. Interestingly, they have conceded just twice in the league thus far, with both goals coming in their away game at Newcastle Jets.
- The visitors have just one win in away games in the A-League in 2023, with that triumph coming against the hosts in March.
Sydney vs Western Sydney Wanderers Prediction
The Sky Blues registered their first win of the season just before the international break, scoring five goals, and will look to continue that form in this match. Interestingly, they have lost their last two home meetings against the visitors, conceding five goals while failing to score in that period, and might struggle here.
Max Burgess, Nathan Amanatidis, and Jack Rodwell are unavailable for Ufuk Talay due to injuries. Róbert Mak joined the squad from international duty with Slovakia on Wednesday but is likely to be named in the starting XI as he looks to find his first goal of the season.
The Wanderers have enjoyed an unbeaten run in the league, drawing two of their four games thus far. They have just two wins in their last 13 away games in the A-League. Interestingly, both have come against the home team.
Considering the current form of the two teams, we expect them to settle for a high-scoring draw.
Prediction: Sydney 2-2 Western Sydney Wanderers
Sydney vs Western Sydney Wanderers Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Draw
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: Joe Lolley to score or assist any time - Yes
