The clash
The A-League season will wrap up on Wednesday night when Melbourne City takes on Western United at Jubilee Stadium. With a Wellington loss during the week ,City wrapped up second spot meaning a confirmed Semi-Final and an Asian Champions League berth for the first time in the Clubs’ history.
City looked set to go two wins from two games since the re-start, going into half-time 2-0 up against Adelaide last Tuesday. The Reds threw caution into the wind in the second half and it was a tactic that proved successful as they clawed their way back to ensure the points would be split against a 10-man City outfit.
Head Coach Erick Mombaerts will be hoping for a more consistent performance in this clash, especially being the last chance City have to build some momentum before finals and next Wednesday’s Semi-Final.
All eyes will also be on the Golden Boot race with Jamie Maclaren currently sitting on top of the leader board alongside Sydney FC striker Adam Le Fondre on 20 goals apiece. Western United’s Besart Berisha sits hot on their tails, just two goals behind leading into the final game.
Maclaren’s 20th goal of the season against the Reds saw him become the first player in A-League history to score 20 goals in a season on three occasions.
Western United have been one of the form teams of the competition since the season re-start, having won all but one of their five games.
City’s back four has been pretty strong bar a few moments in the second half against Adelaide. The central defensive partnership between Curtis Good and Richard Windbichler has been massive and will face a big test against a Western United team that has scored 11 goals in five games.
Last time they met
The last meeting between these two teams was nothing short of entertaining. City scored three times in the first half, with Jamie Maclaren netting a brace. Western United scored twice between the 75th and 80th minute to get right back into the game but City were able to hold on to take all three points. City also won its only other meeting with Western United 2-1 back in round three.
Team news
1.Tom GLOVER (gk), 2.Scott GALLOWAY, 3.Scott JAMIESON, 4.Harrison DELBRIDGE, 6.Josh BRILLANTE, 7.Rostyn GRIFFITHS, 9.Jamie MACLAREN, 10.Florin BERENGUER, 13.Nathaniel ATKINSON, 19.Lachlan WALES, 20.Adrian LUNA, 21.Ramy NAJJARINE, 22.Curtis GOOD, 30.Moudi NAJJAR, 34.Connor METCALFE, 35.Raphael BORGES RODRIGUEZ, 38.Yaya DUKULY, 39.Idrus ABDULAHI, 40.Richard WINDBICHLER, 46.Joe GAUCI, 49.Stefan COLAKOVSKI
Ins: 35.Raphael BORGES RODRIGUES (promoted), 38.Yaya DUKULY (promoted), 39.Idrus ABDULAHI (promoted)
Outs: 11.Craig NOONE (suspended)
Unavailable: 3.Scott JAMIESON (family reasons)
How to watch
You can get all the latest City news and hear the inside word leading into kick-off, at half-time and full-time with City LIVE, presented by McDonald’s. City LIVE will be live from 7:00pm on our official Facebook and YouTube channels as well as right here on our website.
You can catch all the action from the match live at 7:30pm on FOX Sports, Kayo Sports or the MyFootball Live App.
What’s next?
At the final whistle of this match, all of the focus will shift to finals. Having finished second on the table, City will go straight through to a semi-final. This will be played next Wednesday night against the highest ranked elimination final winner.
