The final Sydney Derby of the regular season is this Saturday, with the game having huge implications on the Wanderers’ finals aspirations.
Get your tickets to the blockbuster match here.
The Red & Black currently occupy sixth spot on the table, with a four point gap between themselves and Melbourne City who are one spot below them and outside of the finals places.
The Wanderers have this breathing room despite falling to an unlucky defeat last weekend against the Brisbane Roar, where a late penalty save denied the Wanderers a share of the points at a wet CommBank Stadium.
They initially fought back from a half-time deficit when Dylan Pierias pulled off a cheeky backheel from a corner in the 64th minute, and they had many chances to take the lead.
They were thwarted, though, and a Henry Hore goal 13 minutes from time consigned them to a 2-1 defeat, meaning they missed the chance to jump back in the top four.
With just three games to go in the regular season, Marko Rudan’s side still sit in a great position to qualify for the finals for a second year running, and a win in the Derby would be a huge boost for the club.
Both sides will be without key players this weekend due to international duty and suspension, with Lachie Brook and Nicolas Milanovic with the Olyroos side for the Wanderers, whilst our opponents will be without Jordan Courtney-Perkins and Jake Girdwood-Reich, who are also participating at the U-23 Asian Cup.
The hosts will also be without key attacker Robert Mak, who was sent off last weekend for elbowing Newcastle Jets defender Phillip Cancar, with our crosstown rivals failing to get the suspension overturned.
It was one of many things that went wrong in the Hunter, as the Jets raced out to a 2-0 lead before Mak’s sending off, and despite Fabio Gomes pulling one back, the Jets scored another goal in the second half to take home a surprise 3-1 win.
The result means our rivals are just one point ahead of us heading into the weekend’s derby, meaning a win for the Wanderers would see them move ahead on the table at a crucial time of the season.
The two derbies this season have been split; the Wanderers won the first affair at Allianz Stadium, where Zac Sapsford scored his first ever A-League goal against his former club in the second half with a thumping finish into the top corner, giving the Wanderers their third win in a row at the home of their city rivals.
Western Sydney were on the wrong end of the scoreline in February, as two quick goals from their opponents set them on the back foot, and despite their best efforts they were unable to claw their way back and fell to a 4-1 defeat.
This season has continued a curious trend where neither side in the Derby has been able to win a match at home, with our opponents having the added ignominy of failing to win a derby at the new Allianz Stadium since reopening in late 2022.
Whilst the Wanderers are still behind in the head-to-head rankings in the fixture, history tends to count for little in the cauldron of a Derby game, especially with so much on the line for both sides.
With the absentees for both sides, it could open the door for a new hero to stand tall; it was Sapsford back in November, but now we wait to see who will take the mantle on the biggest stage of all and lead the West to a crucial Derby win?
