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Western United and Melbourne Victory will square off at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in the A-League on Monday (December 26).
Western have just two wins in the A-League this season, with both victories coming in their last three outings. In their previous outing, they beat second-placed Western Sydney Wanderers on Sunday. Aleksandar Prijovic scored the winner in the fifth minute.
Meanwhile, Melbourne's last game against Melbourne City was abandoned last Sunday after fans charged onto the pitch and injured a player and a referee. Victory fans are banned from attending home games till January 15.
Western United vs Melbourne Victory Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams have locked horns 12 times across competitions. Western have six wins to Melbourne's four, while two games have ended in draws.
- They last met in the Australia Cup in August, where Western secured a 2-1 win in the first round . George Timotheou's own goal gave Western the lead before Jake Brimmer equalised for Melbourne. Lachlan Wales scored a 53rd-minute winner.
- They met in the two-legged semi-final of the final series. Western secured a 4-1 win to qualify for the final, which they won 2-0.
- Three of the last six meetings between the two teams have produced over 2.5 goals.
- Western have the worst defending record in the A-League, conceding 18 goals in eight games. Meanwhile, Melbourne have conceded eight goals in seven games, which is the joint-third-best defending record in the competition.
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Western United vs Melbourne Victory Prediction
Both Western and Melbourne have two wins in their last three games and will look to continue that momentum. Melbourne have scored only one goal in their last four meetings against Western United, who have scored seven.
Both teams have struggled this season. Taking into consideration the recent history between them, a win for Western seems to be on the cards.
Prediction: Western 2-1 Melbourne
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Western United vs Melbourne Victory Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Western
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Over 2.5
Tip 3: Melbourne to score first - Yes
Tip 4: At least one goal to be scored in the second half
