After playing out a tight 1-1 draw with Melbourne Victory in last Sunday’s Derby, Melbourne City now turns its attention to a clash with the Western Sydney Wanderers at Casey Fields this Saturday.
We only have to cast our minds back two weeks to our last match against the Wanderers, with City going down 2-0 in that fixture.
It was two goals either side of the break that was enough for the Wanderers to come away with the full three points, but they’ll be facing a tougher test this time around with City hosting them on home soil and ready for a shot at redemption.
After a chaotic schedule that saw the side playing three matches within the week, City has now had the chance to rest and recover thanks to a six-day turnaround.
It was a mixed bag for City over those three fixtures, recording one of each possible result throughout the week, and it will now be no doubt looking to quickly right the wrongs of that previous Wanderers game.
Head Coach Dario Vidosic made a string of small changes across the busy run, opting to manage players loads to ensure the squad remained healthy right across the board.
Travelling on the road for a large majority of last week, the squad had little time to hit the training pitch, an opportunity they’ll no doubt have taken advantage of in the build-up this time around.
With Maria Jose Rojas away on international duty with the Chilean national team, we have seen renowned goalscorer Hannah Wilkinson return to the fold up front for the second placed City side.
Both providing quality options in attack, the side has continued to adjust to the style of play and service that Wilkinson requires as an out-and-out striker compared to the more fluid style of play that Rojas brings.
In a reminder to just how dangerous she can be, Wilkinson found the back of the net for the first time of the season in last week’s Derby, firing the ball into the back of the net from the edge of the box with a quality finish to draw City level.
After a poor start to the season, the Wanderers have picked up their form in recent weeks, beating the top two sides in the competition in successive games.
They followed up their impressive win over City with an even more impressive 2-1 win against the ladder leaders Western United, thanks to a second half goal from Amy Harrison, before also securing a midweek draw against Victory.
MATCH DETAILS
Liberty A-League: Round 11
Melbourne City FC v Western Sydney Wanderers
Saturday 21 January, 3:00pm
Casey Fields
