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Western Sydney Wanderers will entertain Melbourne City at CommBank Stadium in their A-League campaign opener on Saturday. The Wanderers finished fourth in the regular season standings and had two points fewer than City, which secured a second-place finish.
The hosts were last in action in the Australia Cup round of 16 in August. They met eventual runners-up Heidelberg United and suffered a 3-0 loss. It was their second loss in three competitive games.
The visitors lost to APIA Leichhardt in the Australia Cup round of 32 in July. They have lost their two games in the AFC Champions League group stage, including a 1-0 away loss to Vissel Kobe earlier this month.
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Western Sydney Wanderers vs Melbourne City Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have squared off 37 times in all competitions. They have contested these meetings closely, with the visitors having a narrow 15-14 lead in wins, and eight games ending in draws.
- The Wanderers were unbeaten in their two league meetings against City last season, recording an away win while playing out a draw at home. Interestingly, they scored two goals apiece in these games.
- Five of the last six meetings between them have produced over 2.5 goals.
- The hosts concluded their regular season in the 2025 A-League campaign on a 12-game unbeaten streak, recording eight wins.
- Including playoffs, City are unbeaten in their last nine A-League games, recording six wins.
- The defending champions are unbeaten in their last six away meetings against the Wanderers. They have scored at least two goals in five games in that period.
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Melbourne City Prediction
The Wanderers will play their first competitive match after two months, and might be a bit rusty. Interestingly, their last two wins in this fixture have been registered away from home. Notably, they have suffered four defeats in the A-League in 2025, with all of them registered at home.
The Hearts have failed to score in their three competitive games since winning last season's Grand Final in May and will look to return to goalscoring ways here. They have failed to score in just two of their 17 away meetings against the Wanderers.
Aurelio Vidmar has a few absentees for the campaign opener, as Andrew Nabbout, Alessandro Lopane, James Nieuwenhuizen, and Medin Memeti are sidelined with injuries. Mathew Leckie, Ben Mazzeo, and Andreas Kuen are back from brief injury spells.
City have a good away record against the Wanderers, and should be able to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Western Sydney Wanderers 1-2 Melbourne City
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Melbourne City Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Melbourne City to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes
Tip 4: At least one goal to be scored in the first half - Yes
