Perth Glory travel to Pirtek Stadium to take on a winless Western Sydney Wanderers in Round 4 of the A-League.
The Western Sydney Wanderers return home this Sunday in the hopes of securing its first win of the campaign. No doubt, the club will still be smarting from a 1-0 derby loss to crosstown rivals Sydney FC, thanks to a late goal from Milos Ninkovic. Although there are promising signs from Tony Popovic’s new recruits, another loss in Round 4 is unlikely to go down well with an increasingly impatient home crowd.
Perth Glory enjoyed a comprehensive 3-1 win over a struggling Adelaide United last weekend. With an upcoming FFA Cup final against Melbourne Victory, the West Australian side will be brimming with confidence when they arrive on Wanderers home turf.
The match will be an interesting one merely for the fact that several players have swapped sides in the transfer window. Former Wanderers players Ante Covic and Antony Golec are now playing in purple, while Scott Jamieson and Mitch Nichols traded in their Perth kit for the red and black of Western Sydney.
Key Battle –Ante Covic vs Federico Piovaccari
Ante Covic’s underwhelming farewell from Wanderland will surely be fuelling the 40-year-old custodian upon his return to Parramatta this Sunday. After an impressive display against the Wanderers in the FFA cup, in which he produced two stunning saves to keep his side in the match, it’s fair to say that the Asian Champions League player of the tournament is unlikely to be daunted when facing his former side.
Meanwhile, international marquee Federico Piovaccari is still yet to register on the scoresheet for Western Sydney. The Italian striker played well in the second half of the Sydney Derby, gelling with the likes of Mitch Nichols and Dario Vidosic to create a number of goal scoring opportunities. However, it’s time the big forward find the back of the net himself. Ante Covic, now guarding the goal for Perth Glory, will be doing everything in his power to deny the Italian his first A-League goal.
Team News
The Wanderers welcome back foundation player Mark Bridge and goal poacher Brendon Santalab to the squad after both had been sidelined with injury. Creative winger Romeo Castelen will not be available for the game after an injury in last week’s Sydney derby, so expect Dario Vidosic to replace the Dutchman on the right flank for his first start of the A-League season.
Kenny Lowe will be pleased to have a full compliment of players to choose from for the clash on Sunday night. Marc Warren’s contributions in the victory over Adelaide United could see him start over ex-Wanderer Antony Golec. Goals for both Diego Castro and Guyon Fernandez could see them reclaim their partnership up front in the starting lineup.
Head-to-Head
The Wanderers have the edge in this fixture, with five wins over the Glory’s three. There has been one draw between the two sides.
Last Meeting
The last time these sides met was in the FFA Cup quarter-final, with Perth Glory advancing to the next round after defeating the Wanderers in penalties.
Prediction
It’s hard to call this one with Perth enjoying some good results and the Wanderers playing positively despite failing to secure three points this season. If the Wanderers can finish their chances, then the home side should win this one.
Western Sydney Wanderers 1 Perth Glory 0
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