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Western Sydney Wanderers will welcome arch-rivals Sydney to the CommBank Stadium in the A-League Elimination finals on Saturday. Interestingly, the two rivals will meet for the first time in the final series.
The winner of this tie will square off against Melbourne City in the semi-finals, who lifted the Premiership trophy for the third season in a row.
The hosts have qualified for the final series for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign while the visitors are in the final series for a joint-record 13th time, alongside Adelaide United.
The hosts signed off for their league campaign with a 3-2 away defeat against Melbourne City. They took the lead twice in the game but Marco Tilio's injury-time winner condemned them to their seventh defeat of the season.
Sydney finished their regular season in style, winning three games in a row. In their last match of the campaign, goals from Adam Le Fondre and Patrick Wood helped them to a 2-0 home win.
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sydney Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two sides have crossed paths 34 times since 2012, with all but one meeting taking place in the A-League. They will meet for the first time in the final series.
- The visitors have the upper hand in the head-to-head record at the moment with 15 wins. The hosts are not far behind with 10 wins and the remaining nine games have ended in draws.
- Both teams recorded away wins in their two league meetings this season.
- Western Sydney Wanderers outscored the visitors 43-40 in the regular season. Also, they had a superior defensive record, conceding just 27 goals (Sydney conceded 39 goals), which was the best defensive record in the league this season.
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sydney Prediction
The hosts have scored at least two goals in their last six league games. They have conceded at least two goals in three games in that period, picking up three wins and suffering a couple of defeats. They came out on top when the two teams met in the previous edition of the Sydney Derby in March.
The visitors finished their league campaign on a five-game unbeaten run, scoring 12 goals and conceding five times in that period. They have just one win in their last four away games, which is a cause for concern.
As the two rivals are meeting for the first time in the final series, we expect the game to be a closely contested affair. Considering Sydney's impressive final series record, we back them to eke out a narrow win.
Prediction: Western Sydney Wanderers 1-2 Sydney
Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sydney Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Sydney
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5
Tip 3: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
Tip 4: Brandon Borrello to score or assist any time - Yes
