The Wander Women are back at home on Saturday afternoon as they host ladder leaders Melbourne City.
Get your tickets to the match here.
In the midst of a turbulent season the team hasn’t lacked fight, but are unfortunately on a poor run of form leaving them anchored to the bottom of the table.
Their last match saw a strong finish fall short as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Canberra United.
In the end it was a goal from Sofia Christopherson on the cusp of half-time that split the sides, but the Wanderers were unfortunate not to get a share of the points after having more shots than their hosts.
Sienna Saveska and Talia Younis, two bright sparks from the season so far, had good chances in the first half to score, and the Wanderers were dominant in the closing stages of the game as they pushed for a goal.
Substitute Talia Kapetanellis had a fantastic chance saved by Canberra ‘keeper Sally James, who also denied Younis and Sophie Harding, who came on as a late substitution.
Despite the result, the performance would have encouraged interim coach Geoff Abrahams ahead of their match against an unbeaten City side.
The wins haven’t been as frequent for the table toppers, but they are still two points ahead of their rivals Melbourne Victory heading into this one.
Their last match on Friday saw Holly McNamara score with less than 10 minutes to go to secure a share of the points after Western United had taken the lead.
It was their fourth draw in their last five games, meaning they haven’t been able to pull away at the top of the table in the manner they would have liked, but it has still been a good season for last season’s beaten grand finalists.
They have former Wanderer Alexia Apostolakis in the side, and the youngster has been performing well, and they have spread the goals around, with Leticia McKenna and Mariana Speckmaier each having four for the season.
They also have the best defensive record in the competition, having only conceded 13 goals this season.
They will be looking to turn the draws into wins as they aim to lock up the minor premiership as the season continues on.
The Wanderers meanwhile will be aiming to move off the foot of the table, which they could do if they record a win.
A win at home against City isn’t far-fetched, they have achieved the feat two times in a row.
The last time they did this was in Unite Round at CommBank Stadium, where a Holly Caspers goal in the second half secured a 1-0 win for the Wanderers.
Caspers will be out for this one as she continues her recovery from injury, but Harding and Saveska will look to carry the burden in attack as the Wanderers aim to get their first win of 2025.
Their last meeting against Melbourne City came at the end of November at AAMI Park, where the Wanderers fell to a 2-0 defeat.
