A-League preview and tips: Goals expected when West Sydney Wanderers visit Macarthur
- George Dempsey
- 7 April 2023
The business end of the A-League season has arrived, and things could get tasty on Saturday (10:45am BST) as Macarthur target revenge against Western Sydney in the race for the play-offs.
The visiting Wanderers are just two points away from being mathematically certain of their play-off spot.
Macarthur find themselves out of the play-off places, but it's typical of the A-League to go right down to the wire and rarely do you see teams cut adrift until late in the season.
There are just two points between the hosts and the foot of the table, but equally, a win could put them level on 28 points with a Sydney side occupying the final play-off place.
Macarthur's season has been plagued with inconsistency, and so you never really know what you're going to get from them.
They've recently held league leaders Melbourne and opened their season with a 2-0 win over second-placed Adelaide. In between those results, they've lost at home to the bottom three sides.
The Wanderers come here having won just two of their last 10 away games, and both were against Sydney, but they do seem to be finding some form at the right time.
They've picked up 10 points in their last six games but more importantly, they're finding the back of the net. Six in two games against Adelaide, four against Sydney, two against the Mariners, and four against Macarthur.
That result means that Western Sydney have recorded back-to-back 4-0 victories over the Bulls. That won't be lost on the home side who have rediscovered their own shooting boots recently.
They've found the net in four straight games for the first time since the opening month of the season. The problem for them is they've still leaked 13 goals in their last five outings.
The last six sides to visit Campbelltown Stadium have scored at least one goal. Four of those games have featured three or more goals, and five of them have involved both teams scoring.
This game comes at a time then Western Sydney seem to be finding goals from all over the pitch. Even Morgan Schneiderlin - there's a blast from the past, Premier League fans - has managed an extremely rare goal.
Western Sydney can play with freedom here, while Macarthur have no choice but to take the game to them. Goals seem very likely.
