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Western United and Melbourne Victory get round 21 of the Australian A-League underway when they square off at AAMI Park on Thursday.
This will be the second encounter between the sides within the space of three weeks, with the Victory claiming a 2-1 win when they met on February 20.
Western United secured consecutive wins for the first time this season last Friday when they edged out Western Sydney Wanderers 2-1 at the CommBank Stadium.
This followed a 1–0 victory over Perth Glory at AAMI Park on March 2 which saw their run of two consecutive games without a win come to an end.
While Western United have turned a corner in recent weeks, they remain rooted to the bottom of the A-League table with 18 points following a slow start to the season.
Melbourne Victory, on the other hand, returned to winning ways last time out when they grabbed a hard-fought 2-1 win at Adelaide United at the Coopers Stadium.
Prior to that, Anthony Popovic’s side were on a two-game losing run, suffering consecutive losses against Central Coast Mariners and Brisbane Roar respectively.
With 34 points from 21 matches, Melbourne Victory are currently third in the league standings, six points adrift of first-placed Central Coast Mariners.
Western United vs Melbourne Victory Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- Western United hold a slight upper hand in the history of this fixture, having won eight of the last 15 meetings between the two sides.
- Melbourne Victory have picked up three fewer wins in that time, while the spoils have been shared on two occasions.
- Western United are unbeaten in four of their last five matches, claiming three wins and one draw since mid-February.
- The Victory have lost just one away game in the league this season and currently boast the division’s third-best away record, having picked up 19 points from 12 matches.
Western United vs Melbourne Victory Prediction
Western United appear to have turned their fortunes around and will be looking to keep the juggernaut rolling. However, Melbourne Victory have been rock-solid on their travels and we see them claiming all three points, albeit by the odd goal.
Prediction: Western United 1-2 Melbourne Victory
Western United vs Melbourne Victory Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Melbourne Victory to win
Tip 2: Both sides to score - Yes (Both sides have scored in four of their last five clashes)
Tip 3: Over 2.5 goals - Yes (There have also been at least three goals scored in four of the last five meetings between the two teams)
